Whereas the annexed Convention between the Government of Republic of India and the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital was signed at New Delhi on 8-2-2006;
And whereas the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro was disintegrated into two independent States after Montenegro’s formal declaration of independence on 3-6-2006 and Serbia’s formal declaration of independence on 5-6-2006;
And whereas the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has ratified the said Convention as published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia - International Treaties No. 102/07, dated 7-11-2007 and accordingly reference in the said Convention to ‘Serbia and Montenegro’ shall be read as reference to Serbia;
And whereas the date of entry into force of the said Convention is the 23rd day of September, 2008, being the date of later of the notifications of completion of the procedures as required by the respective laws for entry into force of this Convention, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 30 of the said Convention;
And whereas sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 2 of Article 30 of the said Convention provides that the provisions of the Convention shall have effect in India in respect of the taxes on income derived and taxes on capital owned in each fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of April in the calendar year next following the year in which the Convention enters into force;
Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 90 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961) and section 44A of the Wealth-tax Act, 1957 (27 of 1957), the Central Government hereby directs that all the provisions of the said Convention shall be given effect to in the Union of India.
Annexure
CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME AND ON CAPITAL THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA AND THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital and with a view to promoting economic co-operation between the two countries,
have agreed as follows:
Article 1 : PERSONAL SCOPE - This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2 : TAXES COVERED - 1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its political sub-divisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income 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:
in Serbia and Montenegro:
(1) the tax on profit;
(2) the tax on income;
(3) the tax on capital;
(4) the tax on revenue from international transport (hereinafter referred to as “Serbian and Montenegrin tax”);
in India:
(1) the Income-tax, including any surcharge thereon; and
(2) 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 Contracting States shall notify each other of any substantial changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Article 3 : GENERAL DEFINITIONS - 1. For the purposes of this Convention:
(1) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean Serbia and Montenegro or India, as the context requires;
(2) the term “Serbia and Montenegro” means the State community Serbia and Montenegro and when used in a geographical sense it means the land territory of Serbia and Montenegro, its internal sea waters and the belt of the territorial sea, the air space thereover, as well as the seabed and subsoil of the part of the continental shelf outside the outer limit of the territorial sea over which Serbia and Montenegro exercises its sovereign rights for the purpose of exploration and exploitation of their natural resources in accordance with its internal legislation and international law;
(3) the term “India” means the territory of India and includes the territorial sea and airspace above it, as well as any other maritime zone in which India has sovereign rights, other rights and jurisdiction, according to the Indian law and in accordance with international law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea;
(4) the term “political sub-divisions”, in the State community Serbia and Montenegro, means Member States;
(5) the term “national” means:
- any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
- any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;
(6) the term “person” includes an individual, a company, a body of persons and, in the case of India, any other entity which is treated as a taxable unit under the taxation laws in force in that country;
(7) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(8) 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;
(9) 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;
(10) the term “fiscal year” means:
- in the case of Serbia and Montenegro, the year beginning on the first day of January;
- in the case of India, the year beginning on the first day of April.
(11) the term “competent authority” means:
- in the case of Serbia and Montenegro, the Ministry for International Economic Relations or its authorized representative;
- in the case of India, the Central Government in the Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) or their authorized representatives.
2. As regards the application of the Convention at any time by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of that State for the purposes of the taxes to which the Convention 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 Convention, the term “resident of a Contracting State” means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any political sub-division or local authority thereof. But this term does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State, or capital situated therein.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contacting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
(1) 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 only of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);
(2) 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;
(3) 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;
(4) 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 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:
(1) a place of management;
(2) a branch;
(3) an office;
(4) a factory;
(5) a workshop;
(6) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources;
(7) a sales outlet;
(8) a warehouse in relation to a person providing storage facilities for others; and
(9) a farm, plantation or other place where agricultural, forestry, plantation or related activities are carried on.
3. The term “permanent establishment” likewise encompasses a building site, or a construction, assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only where such site, project or activities continue for a period of more than twelve months;
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term “permanent establishment” shall be deemed not to include:
(1) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or occasional delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(2) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or occasional delivery;
(3) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
(4) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;
(5) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of advertising, supply of information, scientific research or similar activities which have a preparatory or auxiliary character, for the enterprise;
(6) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs (1) to (5) 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 7 applies - is acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, if such a person:
(1) has and habitually exercises in that State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of 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; or
(2) 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. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance enterprise of a Contracting State shall, except in regard to re-insurance, be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects premiums in the territory of that other State or insures risks situated therein through a person other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies.
7. 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. 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.
8. 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 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 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 business 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 and subject to the limitations of domestic tax laws of that State. 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, for 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. 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 Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8 : INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC - 1. Profits derived by 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 mean the profits derived by an enterprise referred to in paragraph 1, from transportation by sea or air of passengers, goods, mail or livestock.
3. Profits derived by an enterprise referred to in paragraph 1, which is a resident of a Contracting State from the use or rental of containers (including trailers and other equipment for the transport of containers) used for the transport of goods or merchandise by that enterprise in international traffic shall be taxable only in that Contracting State unless the containers are used solely within the other Contracting State.
4. For the purposes of this Article, interest on funds directly 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, if they are incidental to the carrying on of such business, and the provisions of Article 11 shall not apply in relation to such interest.
5. 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
(1) 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
(2) 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 winch 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 this Convention and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.
Article 10 : DIVIDENDS - 1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed :
(1) 5 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company (other than a partnership) which holds directly at least 25 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends;
(2) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of these limitations.
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, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, 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 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 15, 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 the company’s undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.
Article 11 : INTEREST - 1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this limitation.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that State provided it is derived and beneficially owned by :
(1) the Government, a political sub-division or a local authority of the other Contracting State; or
(2) the Reserve Bank, Central Bank or National Bank of the other Contracting State.
4. The term “interest” as used in this Article means income from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor’s profits, and in particular, income from Government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not supply 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 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or a fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment of fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 12 : ROYALTIES - 1. Royalties 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 may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the royalties is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount, of the royalties. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this limitation.
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 or films or tapes used 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 provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of article 7 or article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, 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 liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. 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, having regard to the use, right or information 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 payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 13 : FEES FOR TECHNICAL SERVICES - 1. 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 fees for technical services may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the fees for technical services is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the fees for technical services. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this limitation.
3. The term “fees for technical services” as used in this article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for the rendering of any managerial, technical or consultancy services (including the provision of services by technical or other personnel) but does not include payments for services mentioned in articles 15 and 16.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the fees for technical services, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the 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 fees for technical services are effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of article 7 or article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Fees for technical services shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the 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 in connection with which the liability to pay the fees for technical services was incurred, and such fees for technical services are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such fees for technical services shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. 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 fees for technical services, having regard to the services 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 payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 14 : 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 derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft shall be taxable only in that State.
4. Gains from the alienation of shares of the capital stock of a company the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
5. Gains from the alienation of shares other than those mentioned in paragraph 4 of a company which is a resident of a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
6. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
Article 15 : INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES - 1. Income derived by an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State from the performance of professional services or other independent activities of any similar character shall be taxable only in that State, except in the following circumstances, when such income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State :
(1) if he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting 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 Contracting State; or
(2) if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned; in that case, only so much of the income, as is derived from his activities performed in that other Contracting 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, surgeons, dentists and accountants.
Article 16 : DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES - 1. Subject to the provisions of articles 17, 19, 20, 21 and 22, 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 :
(1) 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; and
(2) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State; and
(3) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
2. 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 17 : DIRECTORS’ FEES - Directors’ fees and other 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 18 : ENTERTAINERS AND SPORT PERSONS - 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of articles 15 and 16, 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 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, 15 and 16, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsperson are exercised.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from his personal activities as an entertainer or as a sportsperson shall be taxable only in that State if the activities are exercised in the other Contracting State within the framework of a cultural or sports exchange programme approved by both Contracting States.
Article 19 : PENSIONS - Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 20, pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State in consideration of past employment shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 20 : GOVERNMENT SERVICE - 1. (1) Salaries, wages and other 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.
(2) However, such salaries, wages and other 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 :
- is a national of that State; or
- did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
2. (1) 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.
(2) 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 Articles 16, 17, 18 and 19 shall apply to salaries, wages and other 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 21 : STUDENTS - 1. Payments which a student or business apprentice who is or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.
2. In respect of grants, scholarships and remuneration from employment not covered by paragraph 1, a student or business apprentice referred to in paragraph 1 shall, in addition, be entitled during such education or training to the same exemptions, reliefs or reductions in respect of taxes available to residents of the Contracting State which he is visiting.
3. The benefit 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 years from the date of his first arrival in that other Contracting State.
Article 22 : PROFESSORS, TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS - 1. A professor or teacher who visits a Contracting State for the purpose of teaching or carrying out research at a university, college, school or other approved educational institution in that State and who is or was immediately before that visit a resident of the other Contracting State, shall be exempt from taxation in the first-mentioned Contracting State on remuneration for such teaching or research for a period not exceeding two years from the date of his first visit for that purpose, provided that such remuneration arise from sources outside that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to remuneration from research, if such research is undertaken primarily for the private benefit of a specific person or persons.
Article 23 : OTHER INCOME - 1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the recipient of such income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, if a resident of a Contracting State derives income from sources within the other Contracting State in the form of lotteries, crossword puzzles, races including horse races, card games and other games of any sort or gambling or betting of any form or nature whatsoever, such income may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
Article 24 : CAPITAL - 1. Capital represented by immovable property referred to in Article 6, owned by a resident of a Contracting State and situated in the other Contracting 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 a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or by 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, may be taxed in that other State.
3. Capital represented by ships and aircraft operated in international traffic, and by movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships and aircraft shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the enterprise owning such property is a resident.
4. All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 25 : ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION - 1. Where a resident of a Contracting State derives income or owns capital which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in the other Contracting State, the first-mentioned State shall allow:
- as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident, an amount equal to the income-tax paid in that other State;
- as a deduction from the tax on the capital of that resident, an amount equal to the capital tax paid in that other State.
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 that other State.
2. Where in accordance with any provision of the Convention income derived or capital owned by a resident of a Contracting State is exempt from tax in that State, such State may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income or capital of such resident, take into account the exempted income or capital.
3. For the purpose of allowance as a credit in a Contracting State the tax paid in the other Contracting State shall be deemed to include the tax which is otherwise payable in that other State but has been reduced or waived by that State under its legal provisions for tax incentives.
4. For the purposes of this Article, the term “tax paid” shall not include any amount which is payable in respect of any default or omission in relation to taxes to which this Convention applies.
Article 26 : 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, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. The taxation 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 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 Convention. Further, this provision shall also not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents.
3. Except where the provisions of Article 9, paragraph 7 of Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties 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. Similarly, any debts of an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting 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.
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 the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
5. The provisions of this Article shall apply to the taxes referred to in Article 2.
Article 27 : 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 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 Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 of Article 26, 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 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 Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with this Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the 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 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 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 an agreement to have oral exchange of opinions, such exchange may take place through a Commission consisting of representatives of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
Article 28 : EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION - 1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information (including documents or certified copies of the documents) as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Convention insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention in particular for the prevention of fraud or evasion of such taxes. 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 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, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by the Convention. 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 the competent authority of a Contracting State the obligation:
(1) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(2) 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;
(3) 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 29 : MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR POSTS - Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 30 : ENTRY INTO FORCE - 1. The Contracting States shall notify each other in writing, through diplomatic channels, the completion of the procedure required by the respective laws for the entry into force of this Convention.
2. The Convention shall enter into force on the date of the later of the notifications referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and its provisions shall have effect:
(1) in Serbia and Montenegro : in respect of the taxes on income derived and the taxes on capital owned in each fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which this Convention enters into force;
(2) in India: in respect of the taxes on income derived and the taxes on capital owned in each fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of April in the calendar year, next following the year in which this Convention enters into force.
Article 31 : TERMINATION - This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting State 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 fifth year from the date of entry into force of the Convention. In such event the Convention shall cease to have effect:
(1) in Serbia and Montenegro: in respect of the taxes on income derived and the taxes on capital owned in each fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice of termination is given;
(2) in India: in respect of the taxes on income derived and the taxes on capital owned each fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of April in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice of termination is given.
In Witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Convention.
Done in duplicate at New Delhi this 8th day of February, 2006 in the English, Hindi and Serbian languages, all three texts being equally authentic. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
For the Government of the Republic of India For the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro
Sd/-
Shri P. Chidambaram
Finance Minister Sd/-
Prof. Dr. Predrag Ivanovic
Minister for International Economic Relations
PROTOCOL
At the moment of signing the Convention between the Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro and the Government of the Republic of India for the Avoidance of Double Taxation with respect to taxes on Income and on Capital, the undersigned have agreed that the following provision shall form an integral part of the Convention.
Ad. Articles 6 and 14
With reference to paragraphs 1 of Article 6 and Article 14, it is understood that income from immovable property and capital gains on alienation of immovable property respectively may be taxed in both Contracting States.
IN WITNESS whereof the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto, have signed this Protocol.
DONE in duplicate at New Delhi this 8th day of February, 2006 in the, English, Hindi and Serbian languages, all three texts being equally authentic. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA FOR THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
Sd/- Sd/-
Shri P. Chidambaram
Finance Minister Prof. Dr. Predrag Ivanovic
Minister for International Economic Relations