KARACHI: Pakistan and Qatar have signed a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income on April 6, 1999.
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
Persons Covered
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2
Taxes Covered
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its political sub-divisions, or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income, all taxes imposed on total income or on elements of income.
3. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are:
(a) in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
(i) the income tax;
(ii) the super tax; and
(iii) the surcharge;
(hereinafter referred to as “Pakistan tax”); and
(b) in the State of Qatar:
Taxes on income
(hereinafter referred to as “Qatar tax”).
4. The Convention applies also to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of this Convention in addition to, or in place of the existing taxes.
5. The Competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any substantial changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
General Definitions
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) the term “Pakistan” when used in a geographical sense means Pakistan as defined in the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and includes any area outside the territorial waters of Pakistan which under the laws of Pakistan and international law is an area within which Pakistan exercises sovereign rights and exclusive jurisdiction with respect to the natural resources of the seabed, subsoil and superjacent waters; and
(b) the term “Qatar” means the territory of the State of Qatar as well as its territorial sea and its continental shelf, over which it exercises sovereign rights and jurisdiction according to the Qatari law and in accordance with international law;
(c) the phrase “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” means Pakistan or Qatar, as the context requires;
(d) the term “company” means any legal person (including in the case of Qatar the State of Qatar and its local authorities) and any other legal entity which is treated as a company or a body corporate for tax purposes;
(e) the phrase “competent authority” means:
(i) in Pakistan, the Central Board of Revenue or its authorized representative; and
(ii) in Qatar, the Minister of Finance, Economy and Commerce or his authorized representative;
(f) the phrases “enterprise of a Contracting State” and “enterprise of the other Contracting State” means respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
(g) the term “international traffic” means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
(h) the term “national” means:
(i) any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) any legal person or association deriving its status as such from the laws of force in a Contracting State;
(i) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons which is treated as an entity for tax purposes; and
(j) the term “tax” means Pakistan tax or Qatar tax, as the context requires.
2. When implementing the provisions of this Convention by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of that state concerning the taxes to which this Convention applies.
Article 4
Resident
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the phrase “resident of a Contracting State” means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any of its political subdivisions or local authority thereof. This phrase, however, does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State or capital situated therein.
2. In the case where a person is considered pursuant to the provisions of the previous para a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
(a) He shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he has a permanent home available to him. However, if he has a permanent home available to him in both Contracting States, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he has his centre of vital interests;
(b) If the Contracting State in which he has his centre of vital interests cannot be determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either Contracting State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State of which he is a national;
(c) If the residence status of an individual cannot be determined in accordance with the provisions of sub-paras (a) and (b) above, then the competent authorities of the two Contracting States shall settle this question by mutual agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph (1) a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which its place of effective management is situated.
Article 5
Permanent Establishment
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the phrase “permanent establishment” means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The phrase “permanent establishment” includes especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
(e) a workshop;
(f) a warehouse;
(g) a sales outlet;
(h) a farm or an orchard or store;
(i) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction or exploitation of
(j) natural resources; and
(k) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or any supervisory activity in connection with such site or project, but only where such site, project or activity continues for a period of more than six months.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term “permanent establishment” shall be deemed not to include:
(a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, or display of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, or display;
(c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
(d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise, or for collecting information, for the enterprise;
(e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character; and
(f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (e), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person — other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 5 applies — is acting on behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a Contracting State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in that State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 3 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business, would not make this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the provisions of that paragraph.
5. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance company of a Contracting State except in regard to reinsurance, of a Contracting State, be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects premiums on the territory of that other Contracting State or insures risks situated therein through a person, other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 6 applies.
6. An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in a Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
7. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
Article 6
Income From Immovable Property
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property, including income from agriculture or forestry, situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The phrase “immovable property” shall have the meaning which it has under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The phrase shall in any case include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights to which the provisions or general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working of or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources. Ships, boats and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting or use in any other form of immovable property.
4. The provisions of paragraph 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable property used for the performance of independent personal services.
Article 7
Business Profits
1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in the State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to that permanent establishment.
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.
3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deduction expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere, which are allowed under the provisions of the domestic law of the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated.
4. In so far as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to the attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary. The method of apportionment adopted shall, however; be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.
5. No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment by reason of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.
6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and sufficient reason to the contrary.
7. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
Shipping and Air Transport
1. Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
2. Provisions of paragraph 1 above shall apply to Gulf Air and United Arab Shipping company’s income in Pakistan but only to such part of the profits which corresponds to the share held by the State of Qatar in the above companies.
3. The provisions of preceding paragraphs shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
Article 9
Associated Enterprises
1. Where:
(a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State; or
(b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the other Contracting State; and
in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial or financial relations which differ from those which would be made between independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those conditions, have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed accordingly.
2. Where a Contracting State includes in the profits of an enterprise of that State — and taxes accordingly — profits on which an enterprise of the other Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other State and the profits so included are profits which would have accrued to the enterprise of the first-mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then that other State may make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of the tax charged therein on those profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Convention and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.
Article 10
Dividends
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed:
(a) 5 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company which holds at least 10 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends; or
(b) 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the mode of application of these limitations by mutual agreement.
This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.
3. The term “dividends” as used in this Article means income from shares or other rights participating in profits (not being debt-claims), as well as income from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of the Contracting State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed lease situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State, may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except in so far as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or in so far as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company’s undistributed profits to a tax on the company’s undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.
Article 11
Interest
1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this limitation.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2:
(a) interest arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that State if it is derived and beneficially owned by:
(i) the Government of the other Contracting State, or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof, or subject to the agreement of the competent authorities, any agency or instrumentality of that State or political subdivision or local authority;
(ii) the Central Bank of the other Contracting State;
(b) interest arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that State if it is beneficially owned by a resident of the other Contracting State and is derived in connected with a loan or credit extended, endorsed or guaranteed by the Government of the first-mentioned State.
4. The term “interest” as used in this Article means income from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor’s profits, and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purposes of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting States in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 12
Royalties and Fees for Technical Services
1. Royalties or fees for technical services arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such royalties or fees for technical services may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise, and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the royalties or fees for technical services is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties or fees for technical services.
3. The term “royalties” as used in this Article means any consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work (including cinematograph films and films, tapes or discs for radio or television broadcasting), any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The term “fees for technical services” as used in this Article means any consideration (including any lump sum consideration) for the provisions of rendering of any managerial, technical or consultancy services by a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State but does not include consideration for any activities mentioned in paragraph 3 or Article 5, Article 14 or Article 15.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties or fees for technical services, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties or fees for technical services arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the royalties or fees for technical services are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Royalties or fees for technical services shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties or fee for technical services, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base with which the right, property or contract in respect of which the royalties or fees for technical services are paid is effectively connected, and such royalties or fees for technical services are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties or fees for technical services shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties or fees for technical services, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds the amount which have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 13
Capital Gains
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other State.
3. Gains of an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft, shall be taxable only in that State.
4. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
Article 14
Independent Personal Services
1. Income derived by an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other activities of an independent character of similar nature shall be taxable in that State. Nevertheless this income shall also be taxable in the other Contracting State in the following two cases:
(a) If the said person has a fixed base regularly available to him in other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities. In this case the income shall be taxable in the other State, but only so much of it as, is attributable to that fixed base; or
(b) If he is present in the other Contacting State for a period of or periods exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any income year.
2. The phrase “professional services” includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers-engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15
Dependent Personal Services
1. Subject to the provisions of Article 16, 18, and 19, salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if:
(a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve-month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned;
(b) the remuneration is paid by or on behalf of an employer who is not a resident of the other State; and
(c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the income derived from an employment exercised on board a ship, aircraft, railway or road vehicle operated in international traffic shall be taxable in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
4. The salary, wages, allowances and perquisites received by an employee of an airline or shipping enterprise of a Contacting State and stationed in the other Contracting State shall be taxable in the Contracting State but where a convention for avoidance of double taxation exists between the Contracting State and the State of which such employee is a national, he shall be taxed in accordance with the provisions of such convention.
Article 16
Directors’ Fees
1. Directors’ fees and similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contacting State in his capacity as an official in a top-level managerial position of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
Article 17
Artistes and Sports Persons
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer such as a theater, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sports person, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsperson in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsperson himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsperson are exercised.
3. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from activities exercised in the other Contracting State as envisaged in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, shall be exempt from tax in that other State if the visit to that other State is supported wholly or mainly by public funds of the first mentioned Contracting State, a political sub-division or a local authority thereof, or takes place under a cultural agreement or arrangement between the Government of the Contracting State.
Article 18
Persons and Annuities
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 19, pensions and other similar remuneration and annuities arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State, shall be taxable in the first-mentioned State.
2. The term “annuity” means a stated sum payable periodically at stated times during life or during a specified or ascertainable period of time under all obligation to make the payments in return for adequate and full consideration in money or money’s worth.
Article 19
Government Service
1.
(a) Salaries, wages and similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such salaries, wages and similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(i) is a national of that State, or
(ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
2.
(a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of, that State.
3. The provisions of Article 15, 16, 17 and 18 shall apply to salaries, wages and similar remuneration, and to pension in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political sub-division or a local authority thereof.
Article 20
Students, Apprentices and Business Trainees
If a person who is a resident of a Contracting State is present in the other Contracting State solely for his being:
(a) a student in a university or college or institution or a school located in that other Contracting State, or
(b) a student training in Commercial or technical works, or
(c) a beneficiary of a grant or a salary or a prize from a scientific or an educational organization mainly for the purpose of conducting studies and research, he shall be exempt from tax in the other Contracting State with respect to the amount remitted to him to meet his accommodation expenses or tuition covering his education or training or any amounts concerning his study grant.
This provision also applies to any amount representing deputization for services performed in that other State provided these services are directly connected to those studies or training or otherwise necessary to cover his living expenses.
Article 21
Other Income
1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable in that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the recipient of such income being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the cases may be, shall apply.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 and 2, items of income of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other State.
Article 22
Method for Elimination of Double Taxation
Double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:
1. Where a resident of a Contracting State derives income which in accordance with the provisions of this convention, is taxable in the other Contracting State, then the first-mentioned State shall allow as a deduction from the tax on income of that resident an amount equal to the tax paid in the other Contracting State provided that such deduction shall not exceed that part of the tax as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to the income derived in the other Contracting State.
2. For the purposes of paragraph 1 of this Article, the terms “Pakistan tax paid” and “Qatar tax paid” shall be deemed to include the amount of tax which would have been paid in Pakistan or Qatar as the case may be, but for an exemption or reduction granted in accordance with the laws and regulation of that Contracting State.
Article 23
Non-Discrimination
1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith is other or more burdensome then the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected. This provision shall notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. The taxation of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities. This provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own nationals.
Article 24
Mutual Agreement Procedure
1. Where a person considers that the action of one or both of the Contacting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those States, present his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 or Article 23, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national. The case must be presented within two years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour if the obligation appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with this Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contacting States.
3. The competent authorities of the Contacting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of this Convention. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in this Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. The competent authorities through consultations, shall develop appropriate bilateral procedures, conditions, methods, and techniques for the implementation of the mutual agreement procedure provided for in this Article.
Article 25
Exchange of Information
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of the domestic laws of the Contacting States concerning taxes covered by this Convention in so far as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to this Convention. The exchange of information is not restricted by Article 1. Any information received by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic law of that State and shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) concerned with the assessment or collection of the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by this Convention. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information on public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
(a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws or the administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
(c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (order public).
Article 26
Diplomatic and Consular Privileges
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 27
Entry Into Force
Each of the Contracting States shall notify to the other the completion of the procedures required by its law for the bringing into force of this Convention. This Convention shall enter into force on the commencement of the income year in the case of Pakistan and of the fiscal year in the case of Qatar next following the date of receipt of the later of these notifications.
Article 28
Termination
This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely but either of the Contracting States may terminate this Convention through the diplomatic channel, by giving to the other Contracting State prior written notice of termination at least six months. This Convention shall then terminate at the commencement of the next fiscal year following the year in which such notice period expires.
Convention for avoidance of double taxation treaty between Pakistan and Qatar
