South Africa
AGREEMENT FOR AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH SOUTH AFRICA
Whereas the annexed agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of South Africa for the avoidance ofdouble taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, has entered into force on the twenty-eighth day of November, 1997, in accordance with Article 28 of the said Agreement, after the notification by both the contracting States to each other of the completion of the procedures required under their laws for the bringing into force of the said agreement;
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 90 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Government hereby directs that all the provisions of the said agreement shall be given effect to in the Union of India.
NOTIFICATION : No. GSR 198(E), Dated 21-4-1998, As Amended by Notification No. S.O. 316 (E) [No.10/2015-FT&TR-II] (F.No.500/144/2005-FTD-II), Dated 2-2-2015
ANNEXURE
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
Preamble
The Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of South Africa desiring to conclude an Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income,
Have agreed as follows :
ARTICLE 1
PERSONAL SCOPE
This Agreement shall apply to persons who are residents of
one or both of the Contracting States.
ARTICLE 2
TAXES COVERED
1. The existing taxes to which this
Agreement shall apply are :
(a) |
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in India, the income-tax
(including any surcharge thereon); |
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(hereinafter referred to as
"Indian tax"); |
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(b) |
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in South Africa : |
(i) |
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the income-tax (the normal tax);
and |
(ii) |
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the secondary tax on companies; |
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(hereinafter
referred to as "South African tax"). |
2.
The Agreement shall apply also to
any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed by either
Contracting State after the date of signature of the Agreement in addition to,
or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting
States shall notify each other of any significant changes which have been made
in their respective taxation laws.
ARTICLE 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this
Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires :
(a) |
|
the term "India" means the territory of the
Republic of India and includes the territorial sea and air space above it.
For the purposes of this Agreement, the term shall cover any other maritime
zone in which the Republic of India has sovereign rights, other rights and
jurisdictions, according to the Indian law and in accordance with
international law in particular as laid down in the UN Convention of the Law
of the Sea, 1982; and |
(b) |
|
the term "South Africa"
means the Republic of South Africa and, when used in a geographical sense,
includes the territorial sea thereof as well as any area outside the
territorial sea, including the continental shelf, which has been or may
hereafter be designated, under the laws of South Africa and in accordance
with international law, as an area within which South Africa may exercise
sovereign rights or jurisdiction; |
(c) |
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the terms "a Contracting
State" and "the other Contracting State" mean India or South
Africa, as the context requires; |
(d) |
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the term "company" means
any body corporate or any entity which is treated
as a company or body corporate for tax purposes; |
(e) |
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the term "competent
authority" means : |
(i) |
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in India, the Central Government
in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) or their authorised representative; and |
(ii) |
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in South Africa, the Commissioner
for Inland Revenue or his authorised
representative; |
(f) |
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the terms "enterprise of a
Contracting State" and "enterprise of the other Contracting
State" mean 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) |
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the term "fiscal year"
means : |
(i) |
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in India, the twelve-month period
beginning on 1st April; |
(ii) |
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in South Africa, the "year of
assessment" as defined in the Income-tax Act, 1962; |
(h) |
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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; |
(i) |
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the term "national"
means : |
(i) |
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any individual possessing the
nationality of a Contracting State; |
(ii) |
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any legal person or association
deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State; |
(j) |
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the term "person"
includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons which is
treated as an entity for tax purposes under the taxation laws in force in the
respective Contracting States; and |
(k) |
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the term "tax" means
Indian tax or South African 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 Agreement applies or which represents a
penalty imposed relating to those taxes. |
2 . As regards the application of the provisions of the
Agreement at any time by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein
shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has at
that time under the law of that State for the purposes of the taxes to which
the Agreement applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State
prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that State.
ARTICLE 4
RESIDENT
1 . For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "resident
of a Contracting State" means :
(a) |
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in India, any person who, under
the laws of India, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile,
residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature,
but this term does not include any person who is liable to tax in India in
respect only of income from sources in India; |
(b) |
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in South Africa, any individual who is ordinarily resident
in South Africa and any other person which has its place of effective
management in South Africa. |
2. Where by reason of the provisions
of paragraph 1, an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then
his status shall be determined as follows :
(a) |
|
he shall be deemed to be a
resident only of the State in which he 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 only of the State in which he has an habitual abode; |
(c) |
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if he has an habitual abode in
both States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident only
of the State of which he is a national; |
(d) |
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if he is a national of both States or of neither of them,
the competent authorities of the Contracting 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 Contracting States, then
it shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which its place of effective
management is situated. If the State in which its place of effective management
is situated cannot be determined, then the competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
ARTICLE 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this
Agreement, 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) |
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a place of management; |
(b) |
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a branch; |
(c) |
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an office; |
(d) |
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a factory; |
(e) |
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a workshop; |
(f) |
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a mine, an oil or gas well, a
quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources, including an
installation or structure used for the exploration or exploitation of natural
resources; and |
(g) |
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a warehouse, in relation to a person providing storage
facilities for others. |
3. A building site, a construction,
installation or assembly project or any supervisory activity in connection with
such site or project constitutes a permanent establishment only if it lasts
more than six months.
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article,
the term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include :
(a) |
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the use of facilities solely for
the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging
to the enterprise; |
(b) |
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the maintenance of a stock of
goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of
storage, display or delivery; |
(c) |
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the maintenance of a stock of
goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of
processing by another enterprise; |
(d) |
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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) |
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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) |
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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 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 4 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.
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 term "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 term shall in any case include
property accessory to immovable property, livestock 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, boats and
aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraphs 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 a
Contracting State shall be taxable only in that 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 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
Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere,
in accordance with and subject to the limitations prescribed in the taxation
laws in that Contracting State.
4. Insofar as it has been customary in
a Contracting State to determine the profits to be 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 Agreement,
then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions
of this Article.
ARTICLE 8
SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
1. Profits of an enterprise of a
Contracting State from the operation of ships or aircraft in international
traffic shall be taxable only in that State.
2. For the purposes of this Article, profits from the
operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall include :
(a) |
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profits derived from the rental on
a bare boat basis of ships or aircraft used in international traffic, |
(b) |
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profits derived from the use or
rental of containers, |
if such
profits are incidental to the profits to which the provisions of paragraph 1
apply.
3. For the purposes of this Article,
interest on funds connected with the operation of ships or aircraft in
international traffic shall be regarded as profits derived from the operation
of such ships or aircraft and the provisions of Article 11 shall not apply in
relation to such interest.
4. 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 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) |
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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 shall make an appropriate
adjustment to the amount of the tax charged therein on those profits if that
other State considers the adjustment justified. In determining such adjustment,
due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Agreement 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 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends.
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 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.
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 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 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 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 10 per cent of the gross amount of the
interest.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of
paragraphs 1 and 2, interest arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt
from tax in that State if it is derived and beneficially owned by :
(a) |
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the Government, a political
sub-division or a local authority of the other Contracting State; |
(b) |
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the Reserve Bank of India or the
South African Reserve Bank; or |
(c) |
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any agency or instrumentally which
is wholly owned by the Government of a Contracting State and which has been
approved in writing by the competent authorities of the Contracting States
for the purposes of this paragraph. |
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 paragraph 1 shall
not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a
Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting 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.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise
in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political
sub-division, a local authority or 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 Agreement.
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 recipient is the
beneficial owner of the royalties or fees for technical services, 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 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 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 the use of, or the right to use,
industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or for information concerning
industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The term "fees for technical
services" as used in this Article means payments of any kind received as a
consideration for services of a managerial, technical or consultancy nature,
including the provision of services by technical or other personnel, but does
not include payments for services mentioned in 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, property or contract 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 that
State itself, a political sub-division, a local authority or a resident of that
State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties or fees 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 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
Agreement.
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 a ship 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 shares
or similar rights in a company, or of an interest in a partnership, trust or
estate, the assets of which consist principally of immovable property situated
in a Contracting State, may be taxed in that State.
5. Gains derived by a resident of a
Contracting State from the sale, exchange or other disposition, directly or
indirectly, of shares or similar rights in a company, other than those
mentioned in paragraph 4, which is a resident of the other Contracting State,
may be taxed in that other State.
6. Gains from the alienation of any
property other than that referred to in the preceding paragraphs, 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 shall be taxable only in that State
unless he has a fixed base regularly available to him in other Contracting
State for the purpose of performing his activities. If he has such a fixed
base, the income may be taxed in the other State but only so much of it as is
attributable to that fixed base. For the purposes of this Agreement, where an
individual who is a resident of a Contracting State stays in the other
Contracting State for a period or periods exceeding in the aggregate 183 days
in any twelve months period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned,
he shall be deemed to have a fixed base regularly available to him in that
other State and the income that is derived from his activities that are
performed in that other State shall be attributable to that fixed base.
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 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, 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 months 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, remuneration derived in respect of an employment
exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international traffic by an
enterprise of a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
ARTICLE 16
DIRECTORS' FEES
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.
ARTICLE 17
ENTERTAINERS AND SPORTSPERSONS
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of
Articles 7, 14 and 15, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as
an entertainer such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste,
or a musician, or as a sportsperson, 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. Notwithstanding the provisions of
paragraph 1, income derived by an entertainer or sportsperson from his personal
activities as such shall be exempt from tax in the Contracting State in which
these activities are exercised if the activities are exercised within the
framework of a visit which is wholly or mainly supported by the other
Contracting State, political sub-division, a local authority or public
institution thereof.
ARTICLE 18
PENSIONS 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, may be taxed 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 an obligation to make the
payments in return for adequate and full consideration in money or money's
worth.
ARTICLE 19
GOVERNMENT SERVICES
1. (a) Salaries, wages and
similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a
political sub-division or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect
of services rendered to that State or sub-division 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 sub-division or a
local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to
that State or sub-division 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 or 18 shall apply to salaries, wages and similar remuneration, and to
pensions, 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
1. A student, apprentice or business
trainee who is present in a Contracting State solely for the purpose of his
education or training and who is, or immediately before being so present was, a
resident of the other Contracting State, shall be exempt from tax in the
first-mentioned State on payments received from outside that first-mentioned
State for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training.
2. Payments which a student or
business apprentice receives as remuneration from employment in the first-mentioned
State, in an amount not exceeding a sum equivalent to 3000 US dollars in the
currency of the first-mentioned State during any fiscal year shall be exempt
from tax in the first-mentioned State during the period ending five years after
the date of his first arrival in the first-mentioned Contracting State.
ARTICLE 21
OTHER INCOME
Items of income arising in a Contracting State which are not
dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement may be taxed in that
State.
ARTICLE 22
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
Double taxation shall be eliminated as follows
:
(a) |
|
In India, where a resident of
India derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of this
Agreement, may be taxed in South Africa, India shall allow as a deduction
from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the South
African tax paid, whether directly or by deduction. Such deduction shall not,
however, exceed that part of the income-tax (as computed before the deduction
is given) which is attributable to the income which may be taxed in South
Africa. |
(b) |
|
In South Africa, Indian tax paid
by residents of South Africa in respect of income taxable in India, in
accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, shall be deducted from the
taxes due according to South African fiscal law. Such deduction shall not,
however, exceed an amount which bears to the total South African tax payable
the same ratio as the income concerned bears to the total income. |
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 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
residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. The taxation on 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
preventing a Contracting State from charging the profits of a permanent
establishment which a company of the other Contracting State has in the
first-mentioned State at a rate of tax which is not more than 10 percentage
points higher than that imposed on the profits of a similar company of the
first-mentioned Contracting State, nor as being in conflict with the provisions
of paragraph 3 of Article 7 of this Agreement.
3. Nothing contained in this Article
shall 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 residents.
4. Enterprises of a Contracting State,
the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or
indirectly, by one or more residents of the other Contracting 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 that
first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
5. Except where the provisions of
paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 5 of Article 11 or paragraph 6 of Article
12 apply, interest, royalties, fees for technical services and other
disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the
other Contracting 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.
6. In this Article, the term
"taxation" means taxes which are the subject of the Agreement.
ARTICLE 24
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a person considers that the
actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him
in taxation not in accordance with this Agreement, 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 of Article 23, to that of the Contracting
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 Agreement.
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
Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in
accordance with the Agreement. Any agreement reached shall be implemented
notwithstanding any time-limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.
3. The competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by
mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or
application of the Agreement. They may also consult together for the
elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Agreement.
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. When it seems
advisable in order to reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions,
such exchange may take place through a joint commission consisting of representatives
of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
1 [
ARTICLE 25
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1.
|
|
The
competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such
information as is foreseeably relevant for carrying out the provisions of
this Agreement or to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws
concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the
Contracting States, or of their political sub-divisions or local authorities,
insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. The
exchange of information is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2. |
2.
|
|
Any
information received under paragraph 1 by a Contracting State 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 bodies) concerned with the
assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of,
the determination of appeals in relation to the taxes referred to in
paragraph 1, or the oversight of the above. Such persons or authorities shall
use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information
in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, information received by a Contracting State may be used for other
purposes when such information may be used for such other purposes under the
laws of both States and the competent authority of the supplying State authorises such use.
|
3.
|
|
In no
case shall the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 be construed so as to impose
on a Contracting State the obligation:
|
(a) |
|
to carry
out administrative measures at variance with the laws and 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 (ordre
public). |
4. |
|
If
information is requested by a Contracting State in accordance with this
Article, the other Contracting State shall use its information gathering
measures to obtain the requested information, even though that other State
may not need such information for its own tax purposes. The obligation
contained in the preceding sentence is subject to the limitations of
paragraph 3 but in no case shall such limitations be construed to permit a
Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because it has no
domestic interest in such information.
|
5. |
|
In no
case shall the provisions of paragraph 3 be construed to permit a Contracting
State to decline to supply information solely because the information is held
by a bank, other financial institution, nominee or person acting in an agency
or a fiduciary capacity or because it relates to ownership interests in a
person. ] |
1.
Article 25 substituted by Notification No.10/2015-FT&TR-II [F.No. 500/144/2005-FTD-II], dated 2-2-2015, w.r.e.f. 26-11-2014. Prior to its substitution, said
Article read as under :
"ARTICLE 25
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall exchange such information, including documents, as is
necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Agreement or of the domestic
laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Agreement
insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. 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 the Agreement. Such persons or authorities shall use the
information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public
court proceedings or in judicial decisions.
2. In no case shall the provisions of
paragraph 1 be construed so as to 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 (ordre public)." |
ARTICLE 26
ASSISTANCE IN RECOVERY
1. The Contracting States shall, to
the extent permitted by their respective domestic law, lend assistance to each
other in order to recover the taxes referred to in Article 2 as well as
interest and penalties with regard to such taxes, provided that reasonable
steps to recover such taxes have been taken by the Contracting State requesting
such assistance.
2. Claims which are the subject of
requests for assistance shall not have priority over taxes owing in the
Contracting State rendering assistance and the provisions of paragraph 1 of
Article 25 shall also apply to any information which, by virtue of this
Article, is supplied to the competent authority of a Contracting State.
3. The competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of
the provisions of this Article.
ARTICLE 27
MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND
CONSULAR POSTS
Nothing in this Agreement 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 28
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. 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 Agreement. The Agreement shall enter into force
on the date of receipt of the later of these notifications.
2. The provisions of the Agreement
shall apply :
(a) |
|
in India : |
(i) |
|
in respect of taxes withheld at
source, for amounts paid or credited in the fiscal year beginning in the
calendar year next following that in which the Agreement enters into force;
and |
(ii) |
|
in respect of other taxes, for any
fiscal year beginning in the calendar year next following that in which the
Agreement enters into force; |
(b) |
|
in South Africa, in respect of fiscal years beginning on or
after the first day of January next following the date upon which the
Agreement enters into force. |
ARTICLE 29
TERMINATION
1. This Agreement shall remain in force indefinitely but either of the Contracting States may terminate the Agreement through the diplomatic channel, by giving to the other Contracting State written notice of termination not later than 30th June of any calendar year starting five years after the year in which the Agreement entered into force :
2. In such event, the Agreement shall cease to apply :
(a) | in India : |
(i) | in respect of taxes withheld at source, for amounts paid or credited in the fiscal year beginning in the calendar year next following that in which notice is given; and | |
(ii) | in respect of other taxes, for any fiscal year beginning in the calendar year next following that in which such notice is given; |
(b) | in South Africa, in respect of fiscal years beginning after the end of the calendar year in which such notice is given. |
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Agreement.
DONE at New Delhi in duplicate, this Fourth day of December, 1996, in the English and Hindi languages, both texts being equally authentic. In case of divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
Sd/- |
Sd/- |
(P. CHIDAMBARAM) |
ALEC
ERWIN |
PROTOCOL
At the signing of the Agreement concluded today between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of South Africa for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, the undersigned have agreed that the following provisions shall form an integral part of the said Agreement :
1. With reference to any provision of the Agreement in terms of which income derived by a resident of a Contracting State may be taxed in the other Contracting State, it is understood that such income may, subject to the provisions of Article 22, also be taxed in the first-mentioned Contracting State.
2. With reference to paragraph 1 of Article 7, it is understood that where a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State, participates, itself or together with other parts of that enterprise or with an associated enterprise, in the negotiation, conclusion or fulfilment of a contract entered into by that enterprise or associated enterprise, there shall be attributed to the permanent establishment that portion of the profits of the contract arising in the other State as relates to the contribution by the permanent establishment to the negotiation, conclusion or fulfilment of the contract.
3. With reference to paragraph 3 of Article 7, it is agreed that the limitations referred to therein shall in no event be less than those prevailing on the day of the signing of the Agreement.
IN WITNESS whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Protocol.
DONE at New Delhi in duplicate, this Fourth day of December, 1996, in the English and Hindi languages, both texts being equally authentic. In case of any divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
Whereas the annexed Protocol amending the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of South Africa for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income was signed in Pretoria on the 26th day of July, 2013;
And whereas, the date of entry into force of the said protocol is the 26th day of November 2014, being thirty days after the date of receipt of later of notifications of completion of the procedures required by the respective laws for bringing the Protocol into force, in accordance with Article II of the said Protocol;
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 90 of the Income-tax, Act 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Government hereby notifies that all the provisions of the said Protocol annexed hereto shall be given effect to in the Union of India with effect from the 26th day of November, 2014.
PROTOCOL AMENDING THE AGREEMENT
BETWEEN
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA
AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION
WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME, SIGNED AT NEW DELHI ON 4 DECEMBER 1996
PREAMBLE
The Government of the Republic of South Africa and the Government of the Republic of India;
DESIRING to amend the Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, signed at New Delhi on 4 December 1996 (hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement");
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
ARTICLE I
Article 25 of the Agreement shall be deleted and replaced by the following:
"ARTICLE 25
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is foreseeably relevant for carrying out the provisions of this Agreement or to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the Contracting States, or of their political subdivisions or local authorities, insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. The exchange of information is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2.
2. Any information received under paragraph 1 by a Contracting State 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 bodies) concerned with the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, the determination of appeals in relation to the taxes referred to in paragraph 1, or the oversight of the above. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, information received by a Contracting State may be used for other purposes when such information may be used for such other purposes under the laws of both States and the competent authority of the supplying State authorises such use.
3. In no case shall the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
(a) | to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and 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 (ordre public). |
4. If information is requested by a Contracting State in accordance with this Article, the other Contracting State shall use its information gathering measures to obtain the requested information, even though that other State may not need such information for its own tax purposes. The obligation contained in the preceding sentence is subject to the limitations of paragraph 3 but in no case shall such limitations be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because it has no domestic interest in such information.
5. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 3 be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because the information is held by a bank, other financial institution, nominee or person acting in an agency or a fiduciary capacity or because it relates to ownership interests in a person."
ARTICLE II
Each Contracting State shall notify the other in writing, through the diplomatic channel, of the completion of the procedures required by its laws for the bringing into force of this Protocol. The Protocol shall enter into force 30 days after the date of receipt of the later of these notifications and its provisions shall have effect on that date.
ARTICLE III
This Protocol, which shall form an integral part of the Agreement, shall remain in force as long as the Agreement remains in force and shall apply as long as the Agreement itself is applicable.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed and sealed this Protocol in two originals in the English and Hindi languages, both texts being equally authentic. In case of diversion of interpretation the English text shall prevail.
DONE at Pretoria, on this 26th day of July, 2013.