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Double Taxation Agreement
30 July 1988
and Protocol of 30 July 1988
Scope of the Convention
Article 1
PERSONAL SCOPE
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents
of one or both of the States.
Article 2
TAXES COVERED
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income and
on capital imposed on behalf of one of the States or of its political subdivisions
or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income and on capital
all taxes imposed on total income, on total capital, or on elements of
income or of capital, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable
or immovable property, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries
paid by enterprises, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.
3. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply
are in particular:
a) in the Netherlands:
-de inkomstenbelasting (income tax),
-de loonbelasting (wages tax),
-de vennootschapsbelasting (company tax) including the
Government share in the net profits of the exploitation of natural resources
levied pursuant to the Mining Act of 1810 (Mijnwet 1810) with respect to
concessions issued from 1967, or pursuant to the Netherlands Continental
Shelf Mining Act of 1965 (Mijnwet Continentaal Plat, 1965),
-de dividendbelasting (dividend tax),
-de vermogensbelasting (capital tax),
(hereinafter referred to as "Netherlands tax");
b) in India:
-the income tax including any surcharge thereon,
-the surtax,
-the wealth tax,
(hereinafter referred to as "Indian tax").
4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially
similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of the Convention
in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities
of the States shall notify to each other any substantial changes which
have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Definitions
Article 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context
otherwise requires:
a) the term "State" means the Netherlands or India, as
the context requires; the term "States" means the Netherlands and India;
b) the term "the Netherlands" means the part of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands that is situated in Europe and the part of the sea-bed
and the sub-soil under the North Sea, to the extent that that area in accordance
with international law has been or may hereafter be designated under Netherlands
laws as an area within which the Netherlands may exercise certain rights
with respect to the exploration and exploitation of the natural resources
of the sea-bed or its sub-soil;
c) the term "India" means the territory of India and
includes the territorial sea and the air space above it, as well as any
other maritime zone in which India has sovereign rights, other rights and
jurisdictions, according to the Indian law and in accordance with international
law;
d) the term "tax" means Indian tax or Netherlands tax
as the context requires, but shall not include any amount which is
payable in respect of any default or omission in relation
to the taxes to which this Convention applies or which represents
a penalty imposed relating to those taxes;
e) the term "person" includes an individual, a company,
any other body of persons and any other entity which is treated as a taxable
unit under the taxation laws in force in the respective States;
f) the term "company" means any body corporate or any
entity which is treated as a company or a body corporate under the taxation
laws in force in the respective States;
g) the terms "enterprise of one of the States" and "enterprise
of the other State" mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident
of one of the States and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the
other State;
h) the term "international traffic" means any transport
by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise which has its place of
effective management in one of the States, except when the ship or aircraft
is operated solely between places in the other State;
i) the term "nationals" means:
1. all individuals possessing the nationality
of one of the States;
2. all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving
their status as such from the laws in force in one of the States;
j) the term "competent authority" means:
1. in the Netherlands the Minister of Finance
or his authorised representative;
2. in India the Central Government in the Ministry of
Finance (Department of Revenue) or their authorised representative.
2. As regards the application of the Convention by one of
the States 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 the Convention applies.
Article 4
RESIDENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident
of one of the States" means any person who, under the laws of that State,
is liable to tax therein by reason of this domicile, residence, place of
management or any other criterion of a similar nature.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an
individual is a resident of both States, then his status shall be determined
as follows:
a) he shall be deemed to be a resident of the
State in which be has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent
home available to him in both States, he shall be deemed to be a resident
of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer
(centre of vital interests);
b) if the 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 State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which
he has an habitual abode;
c) if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither
of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State of which he is
a national;
d) if he is a national of both States or of neither of
them, the competent authorities of the States shall settle the 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 States, then it shall be
deemed to be a resident of the State in which its place of effective management
is situated.
Article 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "permanent
establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business
of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:
a) a place of management;
b) a branch;
c) an office;
d) a factory;
e) a workshop;
f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other
place of extraction of natural resources;
g) a warehouse in relation to a person providing storage
facilities for others;
h) a premises used as a sales outlet;
i) an installation or structure used for the exploration
of natural resources provided that the activities continue for more than
183 days.
3. A building site or construction, installation or assembly
project constitutes a permanent establishment only where such site or project
continues for a period of more than six months.
4. 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 of collecting information,
for the enterprise;
e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely
for the purpose of advertising, for the supply of information, for scientific
research, or for other activities which have a preparatory or auxiliary
character, for the enterprise;
f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely
for any combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs (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.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2,
where a person - other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph
6 applies - is acting in one of the States on behalf of an enterprise of
the other State, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment
in the first-mentioned State, if -
a) he has and habitually exercises in that State
an authority to conclude contracts on behalf of the enterprise, unless
his activities are limited to the purchase of goods or merchandise for
the enterprise; or
b) he has no such authority, but habitually maintains
in the first-mentioned State a stock of goods or merchandise from which
he regularly delivers goods or merchandise on behalf of the enterprise.
6. An enterprise of one of the States shall not be deemed
to have a permanent establishment in the other State merely because it
carries on business in that other 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. However, when the
activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf
of that enterprise, he will not be considered an agent of an independent
status within the meaning of this paragraph if it is shown that the transactions
between the agent and the enterprise were not made under at arm's-length
conditions.
7. The fact that a company which is a resident of one
of the States controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident
of the other 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.
Taxation of income
Article 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income derived by a resident of one of the States from
immovable property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated
in the other State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning
which it has under the law of the State in which the property in question
is situated. The term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable
property, live-stock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights
to which the provisions of 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 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 paragraphs 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 one of the States shall
be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business
in the other 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 one of the States carries on business in the other State
through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each
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. In any case where the correct amount of profits attributable
to a permanent establishment is incapable of determination or the determination
thereof presents exceptional difficulties, the profits attributable to
the permanent establishment may be estimated on the basis of an apportionment
of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, provided,
however, that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained
in this Article.
3.
a) In determining the profits of a permanent establishment,
there shall be allowed as deductions 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, in accordance with the
provisions of and subject to the limitations of the taxation laws of that
State. Provided that where the law of the State in which the permanent
establishment is situated imposes a restriction on the amount of the executive
and general administrative expenses which may be allowed, and that restriction
is relaxed or overridden by any Convention between that State and a third
State which enters into force after the date of entry into force of this
Convention, the competent authority of that State shall notify the competent
authority of the other State of the terms of the corresponding paragraph
in the Convention with that third State immediately after the entry into
force of that Convention and, if the competent authority of the other State
so requests, the provisions of this sub-paragraph shall be amended by protocol
to reflect such terms.
b) However, no such deduction shall be allowed in respect
of amounts, if any, paid (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual
expenses) by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise
or any of its other offices, by way of royalties, fees or other similar
payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of
commission for specific services performed or for management, or, except
in the case of a banking enterprise, by way of interest on moneys lent
to the permanent establishment.
Likewise, no account shall be taken, in the determination
of the profits of a permanent establishment, or amounts charged (otherwise
than towards reimbursement of actual expenses), by the permanent establishment
to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices, by way
of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents
or other rights, or by way of commission for specific services performed
or for management, or, except in the case of a banking enterprise, by way
of interest on moneys lent to the head office of the enterprise or any
of its other offices.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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
AIR TRANSPORT
1. Profits from the operation of aircraft in international
traffic shall be taxable only in the State in which the place of effective
management of the enterprise is situated.
2. For the purposes of this Article:
a) profits from the operation in international
traffic of aircraft include profits derived from the rental on a bareboat
basis of aircraft if operated in international traffic if such rental profits
are incidental to the profits described in paragraph 1;
b) interest on funds connected with the operation of
aircraft in international traffic shall be regarded as profits derived
from the operation of such aircraft and the provisions of Article 11 shall
not apply in relation to such interest.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits
from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international
operating agency.
Article 8A
SHIPPING
1. Profits from the operation of ships in international
traffic shall be taxable only in the State in which the place of effective
management of the enterprise is situated.
2. However, if the operation of a ship in the other State
is more than casual, such profits may also be taxed in that other State
and according to the laws of that State, but only so much of them as is
derived from that other State and provided that the profits are in respect
of any one or more of the first ten fiscal years for which the Convention
has effect. For the purposes of this paragraph:
a) profits derived from the other State mean
profits from the carriage of passengers or freight embarked in that other
State;
b) the amount of such profits shall not exceed 5 per
cent of the sums receivable in respect of such carriage;
c) the rate of tax chargeable on such profits shall be
50 per cent of the rate of tax on that profits which would have been chargeable
in the absence of this Convention.
3. If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise
is aboard a ship, then it shall be deemed to be situated in the State in
which the home harbour of the ship is situated, or, if there is no such
home harbour, in the State of which the operator of the ship is a resident.
4. For the purposes of this Article:
a) interest on funds connected with the operation
of ships in international traffic shall be regarded as profits from the
operation of such ships and the provisions of Article 11 shall not apply
in relation to such interest; and
b) profits from the operation of ships include: i. profits
derived from the use, maintenance or rental of containers (including trailers
and related equipment for the transport of containers) in connection with
the transport of goods or merchandise in international traffic; ii. profits
from the rental on a full or bareboat basis of ships if operated in international
traffic. Provided that such profits are incidental to the profits described
in paragraph 1.
5. The provisions of the Article 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 one of the States participates directly
or indirectly in thc management, control or capital of an enterprise of
the other State, or
b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly
in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of one of the States
and an enterprise of the other 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 one of the States includes in the profits of
an enterprise of that State - and taxes accordingly - profits on which
an enterprise of the other 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 shall 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 the
Convention and the competent authorities of the States shall if necessary
consult each other.
Article 10
DIVIDENDS
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of
one of the States to a resident of the other State may be taxed in that
other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the State
of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to
the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of
the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed 15 per cent of the gross
amount of the dividends.
3. The competent authorities of the States shall by mutual
agreement settle the mode of application of paragraph 2.
4. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not affect the
taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends
are paid.
5. The term "dividends" as used in this Article means
income from shares, "jouissance" shares or "jouissance" rights, mining
shares, founders shares or other rights participating in profits, as well
as income from debt-claims participating in profits and income from other
corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income
from shares by the laws of the State of which the company making the distribution
is a resident.
6. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply
if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of one of the
States, carries on business in the other 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 base 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.
7. Where a company which is a resident of one of the States
derives profits or income from the other State, that other State may not
impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as
such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar 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 one of the States and paid to a
resident of the other State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the State
in which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the
recipient is the beneficial owner of the interest the tax so charged shall
not exceed:
a) 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest
on loans made or guaranteed by a bank or other financial institution carrying
on bona fide banking or financing business or by an enterprise which holds
directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the capital of the company
paying the interest;
b) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the interest in
all other cases.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2:
a) the Government of one of the States shall
be exempt from tax in the other State in respect. of interest derived directly
or indirectly by that Government from that other State;
b) interest arising in one of the States and paid in
respect of a loan guaranteed or insured by the Government of the other
State shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned State.
4. For the purposes of paragraph 3 the term "Government"
means:
a) in the case of the Netherlands, the Government of
the Kingdom of the Netherlands and shall include:
- the local authorities;
- the Nederlandsche Bank (Central Bank);
- such institutions, the capital of which is wholly owned
by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands or the local authorities;
- the Nederlandse Financierings Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden
N.V. (Netherlands finance company for developing countries) and the Nederlandse
Investeringsbank voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V. (Netherlands investment
bank for developing countries);
- all other institutions as may be agreed from time to
time between the competent authorities of the States;
(b) in the case of India, the Government of India and shall
include:
- a political subdivision;
- a local authority;
- the Reserve Bank of India (Central Bank);
- the Export-Import Bank of India;
- such institutions, the capital of which is wholly owned
by the Government of India or a political subdivision of a local authority;
- all other institutions as may be agreed from time to
time between the competent authorities of the States.
5. The competent authorities of the States shall by mutual
agreement settle the mode of application of paragraph 2.
6. The term "interest" as used in this Article means income
from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, but
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 purpose of this Article.
7. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply
if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of one of the
States, carries on business in the other State 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.
8. Interest shall be deemed to arise in one of the States
when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority
or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest,
whether he is a resident of one of the States or not, has in one of the
States 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.
9. 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 State, due regard being had to the other provisions
of this Convention.
Article 12
ROYALTIES, FEES FOR TECHNICAL SERVICES AND PAYMENTS FOR
THE USE OF EQUIPMENT
1. Royalties, fees for technical services and payments
for the use of equipment arising in one of the States and paid to a resident
of the other State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such royalties, fees and payments may also
be taxed in the State in which they arise and according to the laws of
that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of these categories
of income the tax so charged shall not exceed 20 per cent of the gross
amount of the royalties, of the fees and payments.
3. The competent authorities of the States shall by mutual
agreement settle the mode of application of paragraph 2.
4. The term "royalties" as used in this Article means
payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the
right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including
motion picture films and works on film or videotape for use in connection
with television, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret
formula or process, or for information concerning industrial, commercial
or scientific experience.
5. The term "fees for technical services" as used in this
Article means payments of any kind to any person, other than payments to
an employee of the person making the payments and to any individual for
independent personal services mentioned in Article 14, in consideration
for services of a managerial, technical or consultancy nature.
6. The term "payments for the use of equipment" as used
in this Article means payments of any kind received as a consideration
for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific
equipment.
7. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply
if the beneficial owner of the royalties, fees for technical services or
the payments for the use of equipment, being a resident of one of the States,
carries on business in the other State in which the royalties, fees for
the technical services or the payments for the use of equipment arise,
through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that
other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein,
and the royalties, fees for technical services or the payments for the
use of equipment are 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.
8. Royalties, fees for technical services or payments
for the use of equipment shall be deemed to arise in one of the States
when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority
or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties,
fees for technical services or the payments for the use of equipment, whether
he is a resident of one of the States or not, has in one of the States
a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the
Contract under which the royalties, fees for technical services or the
payments for the use of equipment are paid was concluded, and such royalties,
fees for technical services or payments for the use of equipment are borne
by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties, fees
for technical services or payments for the use of equipment shall be deemed
to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base
is situated.
9. 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, fees for technical services or the
payments for the use of equipment, having regard to the royalties, technical
services or the use of equipment for which they are 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 payment shall remain taxable according to the laws of each State,
due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 13
CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains derived by a resident of one of the States from
the alienation of immovable property refereed to in Article 6 and situated
in the other 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 one of the States has in the other State or of movable property pertaining
to a fixed base available to a resident of one of the States in the other
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 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 the State in which
the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated. For the
purposes of this paragraph the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 8A
shall apply.
4. Gains derived by a resident of one of the States from
the alienation of shares (other than shares quoted on an approved stock
exchange) forming part of a substantial interest in the capital stock of
a company which is a resident of the other State, the value of which shares
is derived principally from immovable property situated in that other State
other than property in which the business of the company was carried on,
may be taxed in that other State. A substantial interest exists when the
resident owns 25 per cent or more of the shares of the capital stock of
a company.
5. Gains from the alienation of any property other than
that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4, shall he taxable only in
the State of which the alienator is a resident. However, gains from the
alienation of shares issued by a company resident in the other State which
shares form part of at least a 10 per cent interest in the capital stock
of that company, may be taxed in that other State if the alienation takes
place to a resident of that other State. However such gains shall remain
taxable only in the State of which the alienator is a resident if such
gains are realized in the course of a corporate organization, reorganization,
amalgamation, division or similar transaction, and the buyer or the seller
owns at least 10 per cent of the capital of the other.
6. The provisions of paragraph 5 shall not affect the
right of each of the States to levy according to its own law a tax on gains
from the alienation of shares or "jouissance" rights in a company, the
capital of which is wholly or partly divided into shares and which under
the laws of that State is a resident of that State, derived by an individual
who is a resident of the other State and has been a resident of the first-mentioned
State in the course of the last five years preceding the alienation of
the shares or "jouissance" rights.
Article 14
INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Income derived by a resident of one of the States in
respect of professional services or other activities of an independent
character shall be taxable only in that State except in the following circumstances,
when such income may also be taxed in the other State:
a) if he has a fixed base regularly available
to him in the other State for the purpose of performing his activities;
in that case, only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed
base may be taxed in that other State; or
b) if his stay in the other State is for a period or
periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the fiscal
year concerned; in that case, only so much of the income as is derived
from his activities performed in that other State may be taxed in that
other State.
2. The term "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 Articles 16, 18, 19, 20
and 21 salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident
of one of the States in respect of an employment shall be taxable only
in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other State. If
the employment is so exercised, 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 one of the States in respect of an employment
exercised in the other 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 the
fiscal year concerned, and
b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer
who is not a resident of the other State, and
) 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,
remuneration derived by a resident of one of the States in respect of an
employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international
traffic, shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 16
DIRECTOR'S FEES
Directors' fees or other remuneration derived by a resident
of one of the States in his capacity as a member of the board of directors,
a "bestuurder" or a "commissaris" of a company which is a resident of the
other State may be taxed in that other State.
Article 17
ARTISTES AND ATHLETES
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15,
income derived by a resident of one of the States as an entertainer, such
as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician,
or as an athlete, from his personal activities as such exercised in the
other State, may be taxed in that other State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised
by an entertainer or an athlete in his capacity as such accrues not to
the entertainer or athlete himself but to another person, that income may,
notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, by taxed in the
State in which the activities of the entertainer or athlete are exercised.
3. Notwithstanding the previsions of paragraphs 1 and
2, income derived by an entertainer or an athlete who is a resident of
one of the States form his personal activities as such exercised in the
other State, shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State, if the
activities in the other State are supported wholly or substantially from
the public funds of the first-mentioned State, including any of its political
subdivisions or local authorities, and such activities are exercised under
the terms of a bilateral cultural Agreement between the two States.
Article 18
PENSIONS AND ANNUITIES
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article
19, pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of one of
the States in consideration of past employment as well as any annuity paid
to such a resident, shall be taxable only in that State.
2. However, where such remuneration is not of a periodical
nature and it is paid in consideration of past employment in the other
State, it may be taxed in that other State.
3. Any pension paid out under the provisions of a social
security system of one of the States to a resident of the other State may
be taxed in the first-mentioned State.
4. The term "annuity" means a stated sum payable periodically
at stated times during life or during a specified or ascertainable period
of time, under an obligation to make the payments in return for adequate
and full consideration in money or money's worth.
Article 19
GOVERNMENT SERVICE
1.
a) Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by one of
the States or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an
individual in respect of services rendered to that State subdivision or
authority may be taxed in that State.
b) However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in
the other State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual
is a resident of that State who:
1. is a national of that State; or
2. 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, one
of the States or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to
an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision
or authority may be taxed in that State.
b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the
other State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of, that
State.
3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16 and 18 shall apply
to remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in connection
with a business carried on by one of the States or a political subdivision
or a local authority thereof.
Article 20
PROFESSORS, TEACHERS AND RESEARCH SCHOLARS
1. A professor or teacher who is or was a resident of
one of the States immediately before visiting the other State for the purpose
of teaching or engaging in research, or both, at a university, college,
school or other approved institution in that other State shall be taxable
only in the first-mentioned State on any remuneration for such teaching
or research for a period not exceeding two years from the date of his arrival
in that other State.
2. This Article shall not apply to income from research
if such research is undertaken primarily for the private benefit of a specific
person or persons.
3. For the purposes of paragraph 1, "approved institution"
means an institution which has been approved in this regard by the competent
authority of the State concerned.
Article 21
STUDENTS AND APRENTICES
1. A student or business apprentice who is or was a resident
of one of the States immediately before visiting the other State and who
is present in that other State solely for the purpose of his education
or training, shall be exempt from tax in that other State on:
a) payments made to him by persons resident outside
that other State for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training;
and
b) remuneration from employment in that other State,
in an amount not exceeding 5000 guilders or its equivalent in Indian currency
during any fiscal year, provided that such employment is directly related
to his studies or is undertaken for the purpose of his maintenance.
2. The benefits of this Article shall extend only for such
period of time as may be reasonable or customarily required to complete
the education or training undertaken, but in no event shall any individual
have the benefits of this Article for more than five consecutive years
from the date of his first arrival in that other State.
Taxation of capital
Article 22
CAPITAL
1. Capital represented by immovable property referred
to in Article 6, owned by a resident of one of the States and situated
in the other State, may be taxed in that other State.
2. Capital represented by movable property forming part
of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise
of one of the States has in the other State or by movable property pertaining
to a fixed base available to a resident of one of the States in the other
State for the purpose of performing independent personal Services, may
be taxed in that other State.
3. Capital represented by ships and aircraft operated
in international traffic and movable property pertaining to the operations
of such ships and aircraft shall be taxable only in the State in which
the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated. For the
purposes of this paragraph the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 8A
shall apply.
4. All other elements of capital of a resident of one
of the States shall be taxable only in that State.
Elimination of double taxation
Article 23
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. The Netherlands, when imposing tax on its residents,
may include in the basis upon which such taxes are imposed the items of
income of capital which, according to the provisions of this Convention,
may be taxed in India.
2. However, where a resident of the Netherlands derives
items of income or owns items of capital which according to Article 6,
Article 7, paragraph 6 of Article 10, paragraph 7 of Article 11, paragraph
7 of Article 12, paragraphs 1, 2, 4 and 5 of Article 13, Article 14, paragraph
1 of Article 15, Article 16, paragraph 3 of Article 18, Article 19 and
paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 22 of this Convention may be taxed in India
and are included in the basis referred to in paragraph 1, the Netherlands
shall exempt such items of income or capital by allowing a reduction of
its tax. This reduction shall be computed in conformity with the provisions
of Netherlands law for the avoidance of double taxation. For that purpose
the said items of income or capital shall be deemed to be included in the
total amount of the items of income or capital which are exempt from Netherlands
tax under those provisions.
3. Further, the Netherlands shall allow a deduction from
the Netherlands tax so computed for the items of income which according
to paragraph 2 of Article 8A, paragraph 2 of Article 10, paragraph 2 of
Article 11, paragraph 2 of Article 12, Article 17 and paragraph 2 of Article
18 of this Convention may be taxed in India to the extent that there items
are included in the basis referred to in paragraph 1. The amount of this
deduction shall be equal to the tax paid in India on these items of income,
but shall not exceed the amount of the reduction which would be allowed
if the items of income so included were the sole items of income which
are exempt from Netherlands tax under the provisions of Netherlands law
for the avoidance of double taxation.
Where, by reason of special relief given under the provisions
of Indian law for the purpose of encouraging investment in India, the Indian
tax actually levied on interest arising in India is lower than the tax
India may levy according to sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of paragraph 2 of
Article 11, then the amount of the tax paid in India on such interest shall
be deemed to have been paid at the rates of tax mentioned in the said provisions.
However, if the general tax rates under Indian law applicable
to the aforementioned interest are reduced below those mentioned
in the foregoing sentence these lower rates shall apply for the purposes
to that sentence.
The provisions of the two foregoing sentences shall only
apply for a period of ten years after the date on which the Convention
became effective. This period may be extended by mutual agreement between
the Competent authorities.
4. In India double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:
Where a resident of India derives income or owns capital
which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed
in the Netherlands, India shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the
income of that resident an amount equal to the income tax paid in the Netherlands,
whether directly or by deduction; and as a deduction from the tax on the
capital of that resident an amount equal to the capital tax paid in the
Netherlands. Such deduction in either case shall not, however, exceed that
part of the income tax or capital tax (as computed before the deduction
is given) which is attributable, as the case may be, to the income or the
capital which may be taxed in the Netherlands. Further, where such resident
is a company by which surtax is payable in India, the deduction in respect
of income tax paid in the Netherlands shall be allowed in the first instance
from income tax payable by the company in India and as to the balance,
if any, from surtax payable by it in India.
Provided that income which in accordance with the provisions
of this Convention is not to be subjected to tax may be taken into account
in calculating the rate of tax to be imposed.
For the purposes of this paragraph in determining the
taxes on income paid to the Netherlands, the investment premiums and bonuses
and disinvestment payments as meant in the Netherlands Investment Account
Law ("Wet Investeringsrekening") shall not be taken into account. For the
purposes of this paragraph, the taxes referred to in paragraphs 3(a) and
4 of Article 2, other than the capital tax, shall be considered taxes on
income.
5. Where a resident of one of the States derives
gains which may be taxed in the other State in accordance with paragraph
6 of Article 13, that other State shall allow a deduction from its
tax on such gains to an amount equal to the tax levied in the first-mentioned
State on the said gains.
Special provisions
Article 24
NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. Nationals of one of the States shall not be subjected
in the other State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith,
which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements
to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances are or
may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions
of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not resident of one or both
of the States.
2. Except where the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article
7 apply the taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of
one of the States has in the other 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.
3. The provision of paragraph 2 shall not be construed
as obliging one of the States to grant to residents of the other State
any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on
account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its
own residents.
4. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article
9, paragraph 9 of Article 11, or paragraph 9 of Article 12, apply, interest,
royalties and other disbursements paid by an enterprise of one of the Sates
to a resident of the other State shall, for the purpose of determining
the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions
as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State. Similarly,
any debts of an enterprise of one of the States to a resident or the other
State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable capital of such
enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been
contracted to a resident of the first-mentioned State.
5. Enterprises of one of the States, the capital of which
is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one
or more residents of the other State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned
State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other
or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which
other similar enterprises of the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
Article 25
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a person considers that the action of one or
both of the States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance
with the provisions of 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 State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes
under paragraph 1 of Article 24, to that of the State of which he is a
national. The case must be presented within three years from the first
notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with
the provisions of the Convention.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection
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 State, with a view to the avoidance of
taxation which is not in accordance with the Convention. Any agreement
reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any lime limits in the domestic
law of the States.
3. The competent authorities of the States shall endeavour
to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to
the interpretation or application of the Convention. They may also consult
together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for
in the Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the States may communicate
with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the
sense of the preceding paragraphs. When it seems advisable in order to
reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions, such exchange may
take place through a Commission consisting of representatives of the competent
authorities of the two States.
Article 26
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the States shall exchange
such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of the
Convention or of the domestic laws of the States concerning taxes covered
by the Convention, in so far as the taxation thereunder is not contrary
to the Convention, in particular for the prevention of fraud or evasion
of such taxes. Any information received by one of the States shall be treated
as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic
laws of that State and shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities
(including courts and administrative courts or bodies) involved in the
assessment or collection or, the enforcement in respect or, or the determination
or appeals in relation to, the taxes which are the subject or the Convention.
Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes
but may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial
decisions.
2. In no case shall the provisions or paragraph 1 be construed
so as to impose on one or the States the obligation:
a) to carry out administrative measures at variance
with the laws and administrative practice or that of the other State;
b) to supply information which is not obtainable under
the laws or in the normal course of the administration or that of the other
State;
c) to supply information which would disclose any trade,
business, industrial, commercial, or professional secret or trade process,
or information, the disclosure or which would be contrary to public policy
(ordre public).
Article 27
DIPLOMATIC AGENTS AND CONSULAR OFFICERS
1. Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal
privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the general
rules or international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
2. For the purposes of the Convention an individual, who
is a member of a diplomatic or consular mission of one of the States in
the other State or in a third State and who is a national of the sending
State, shall be deemed to be a resident of the sending State if he is subjected
therein to the same obligations in respect of taxes on income or on capital
as are residents of that State.
3. International organisations, organs and officials thereof
and members of a diplomatic or consular mission of a third State, being
present in one of the States, are not entitled, in the other State, to
the reductions or exemptions from tax provided for in Articles 10, 11 and
12 in respect of the items of income dealt with in these Articles and arising
in that other State, if such items of income are not subject to a tax on
income in the first-mentioned State.
Article 28
TERRITORIAL EXTENSION
1. This Convention may be extended, either in its entirety
or with any necessary modifications, to either or both of the countries
of Aruba or the Netherlands Antilles, if the country concerned imposes
taxes substantially similar in character to those to which the Convention
applies. Any such extension shall take effect from such date and subject
to such modifications and conditions, including conditions as to termination,
as may be specified and agreed in notes to be exchanged through diplomatic
channels.
2. Unless otherwise agreed the termination of the Convention
shall not also terminate any extension of the Convention to any country
to which it has been extended under this Article.
Final provisions
Article 29
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. Each of the States shall notify to the other the completion
of the procedures required by its law for the brining into force or this
Convention. This Convention shall enter into force on the thirtieth day
after the latter of the dates on which the respective Governments have
notified each other in writing that the formalities constitutionally required
in their respective States have been complied with, and its provision shall
have effect:
a) in the Netherlands for taxable years and periods
beginning on or after the first day of January next following the calendar
year in which the latter or the notifications is given;
b) in India in respect or income arising in any fiscal
year beginning on or after the first day or April next following the calendar
year in which the latter of the notifications is given.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions or paragraph 1, the provisions
of Article 8 shall have effect:
a) in the Netherlands for taxable years and periods
beginning on or after the first day of January 1987;
b) in India in respect of income arising in any fiscal
year beginning on or after the first day or April 1987.
Article 30
TERMINATION
This Convention shall remain in force until terminated
by one of the Contracting Parties. Either Party may terminate the Convention,
through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of termination at least six
months before the end of any calendar year after the expiration of a period
of five years from the date of its entry into force. In such event the
Convention shall cease to have effect:
a) in the Netherlands for taxable years and periods
beginning on or after the first day of January next following of the calendar
year in which the notice of termination has been given;
b) in India in respect of income arising in any fiscal
year beginning on or after the 1st day of April next following the calendar
year in which the notice of termination has been given.
Protocol of 30 July 1988
I. Ad Article 7
1. In respect of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 7, where
an enterprise of one of the States sells goods or merchandise or
carries on business in the other State through a permanent establishment
situated therein, the profits of that permanent establishment shall not
be determined on the basis of the total amount received by the enterprise,
but shall be determined only on the basis of the remuneration which is
attributable to the actual activity of the permanent establishment for
such sales or business. Especially, in the case of contracts for the survey,
supply, installation or construction of industrial, commercial or scientific
equipment or premises, or of public works, when the enterprise has a permanent
establishment, the profits of such permanent establishment shall not be
determined on the basis of the total amount of the contract, but shall
be determined only on the basis of that part of the contract which is effectively
carried out by the permanent establishment in the State where the permanent
establishment is situated. The profits related to that part of the contract
which is carried out by the head office of the enterprise shall be taxable
only in the State of which the enterprise is a resident.
2. It is understood that with respect to paragraph 2 of
Article 7, no profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment
by reason of the facilitation of the conclusion of foreign trade or loan
agreements or the mere signing thereof.
3. Where the law of the State in which a permanent establishment
is situated imposes in accordance with the previsions of sub-paragraph
(a) of paragraph 3 of Article 7 a restriction on the amount of the executive
and general administrative expenses which may be allowed as a deduction
in determining the profits of such permanent establishment, it is understood
that in determining the profits of such permanent establishment the deduction
in respect of such executive and general administrative expenses in no
case shall be less than what is allowable under the Indian Income-tax Act
as on the date of signature of this Convention.
II. Ad Article 8A
It is understood that in case the percentage as is specified
in section 44B of the Indian Income-tax Act as on the date of signature
of this Convention for the purpose of determining the amount of shipping
profits is reduced by any change in the Indian law, the percentage as is
mentioned in sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph 2 of Article 8A will be reduced
in the same proportion.
III. Ad Article 9
It is understood that the fact that associated enterprises
have concluded arrangements, such as costsharing arrangements or general
services agreements, for or based on the allocation of executive, general
administrative, technical and commercial expenses, research and development
expenses and other similar expenses, is not in itself a condition as meant
in paragraph 1 of Article 9.
IV. Ad Articles 10, 11 and l2
1. Where tax has been levied at source in excess of the
amount of tax chargeable under the provisions of Articles 10, 11 or 12,
applications for the refund of the excess amount of tax have to be lodged
with the competent authority of the State having levied the tax, within
a period of three years after the expiration of the calendar year in which
the tax has been levied.
2. If after the signature of this Convention under any
Convention or Agreement between India and a third State which is a member
of the OECD India should limit its taxation at source on dividends, interest,
royalties, fees for technical services or payments for the use of equipment
to a rate lower or a scope more restricted than the rate or scope provided
for in this Convention on the said items of income, then, as from the date
on which the relevant India Convention or Agreement enters into force the
same rate or scope as provided for in that Convention or Agreement on the
said items of income shall also apply under this Convention.
V. Ad Article 12
It is understood that in case India applies a levy, not
being a levy covered by Article 2, such as the Research and Development
Levy, on payments meant in Article 12, and if after the signature of this
Convention under any Convention or Agreement between India and a third
State which is a member of the OECD India should give relief from such
levy, directly, by reducing the rate or the scope of the levy, either in
full or in part, or, indirectly, by reducing the rate or the scope of the
Indian tax allowed under the Convention or Agreement in question on payments
as meant in Article 12 of this Convention with the levy, either in full
or in part, then, as from the date on which the relevant Indian Convention
or Agreement enters into force, such relief as provided for in that Convention
or Agreement shall also apply under this Convention.
VI. Ad Article 16
It is understood that "bestuurder" or "commissaris" of
a Netherlands company means persons who are nominated as such by the general
meeting of shareholders or by any other competent body of such company
and are charged with the general management of the company and the supervision
thereof, respectively.
VII. Ad Article 23
It is understood that for the computation of the reduction
mentioned in paragraph 2 of Article 23, the items of capital referred to
in paragraph 1 of Article 22 shall be taken into account for the value
thereof reduced by the value of the debts secured by mortgage on that capital
and the items of capital referred to in paragraph 2 of Article 22 shall
be taken into account for the value thereof reduced by the value of the
debts pertaining to the permanent establishment or fixed base.
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