CONVENTION BETWEEN THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND
IRELAND FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND FOR THE PREVENTION OF
FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
The Government of the State of Israel and
the Government of Ireland desiring to conclude a Convention 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 Convention shall apply to persons who
are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2 Taxes Covered
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on
income imposed by each Contracting State irrespective of the manner in which
they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on
income all taxes imposed on total income, or on elements of income,
including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable
property.
3. The existing taxes to which the
Convention shall apply are in particular:
(a) in the case of Israel:
(i) taxes imposed according to the
Income Tax Ordinance and its adjunct laws; and
(ii) taxes imposed upon gains from the
alienation of property according to the Land Appreciation Tax Law;
(hereinafter referred to as "Israeli tax").
(b) in the case of Ireland:
(i) the income tax;
(ii) the corporation tax; and
(iii) the capital gains tax;
(hereinafter referred to as "Irish 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,
unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) The term "Israel" means the
State of Israel, and when used in a geographic sense, includes the
territorial sea, Continental Shelf and economic zone thereof as well as that
area of the high seas in respect of which Israel is entitled, in accordance
with international law, to exercise sovereign rights over the sea bed and
subsoil and their natural resources;
(b) the term "Ireland" includes
any area outside the territorial waters of Ireland which, in accordance with
international law, has been or may hereafter be designated under the laws of
Ireland concerning the Continental Shelf, as an area within which the rights
of Ireland with respect to the sea bed and subsoil and their natural
resources may be exercised;
(c) The terms "Contracting State","one of the Contracting States" and "the other Contracting State"
mean Israel or Ireland, as the context requires; and the term "Contracting States" means Israel and Ireland;
(d) The term "person" includes
an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
(e) The term "company" means any
body corporate or any entity which is stated as a body corporate for tax
purposes;
(f) 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) The term "national" means:
(i) any individual who is a citizen of
a Contracting State;
(ii) any legal person or association
deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;
(h) 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) The term "competent authority"
means:
(i) in the case of Israel - the
Minister of Finance or his authorised representative.
(ii) in the case of Ireland - the
Revenue Commissioners or their authorised representative.
2. As regards the application of the
Convention by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall,
unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under
the laws of that State concerning the taxes to which the Convention applies.
Article 4 Resident
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the
term "resident of a Contracting State" means any person who, under
the laws of the State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile,
residence, place of management, place of incorporation or any other
criterion of a similar nature. However, a person will not be deemed to be a
resident of a Contracting State by virtue only of his being liable to tax in
that State in respect only of income from sources in that State or capital
situated therein.
2. Where by reasons 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
of the Contracting State with which his personal and economic relations are
closer (centre of vital interests); if his centre of vital interests cannot
be determined he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State
in which he has a permanent home available to him;
(b) if he has a permanent home
available to him in both Contracting States or in neither of them, he shall
be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he has an
habitual abode;
(c) if he has an habitual abode in both
Contracting States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a
resident of the Contracting State of which he is a national;
(d) if he is a national of both
Contracting 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 of the State in
which its place of effective and central management is situated. If the
State in which its place of effective and central management cannot be
determined, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall
endeavour to 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:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
(e) a workshop;
(f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a
quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources; and
(g) an installation or structure used
for exploration or exploitation of natural resources.
3. The term "permanent establishment"
includes also:
(a) a building site, a construction,
installation or assembly project, or supervisory activities connected
therewith, but only where such site, project or activities continue for a
period of more than six months;
(b) the furnishing of services,
including consultancy services, by an enterprise of a Contracting State
through employees or other personnel engaged by such enterprise for such
purpose, but only where the activities of that nature continue (for the same
or a connected project) within the other Contracting State for a period or
periods exceeding in the aggregate six months within any twelve month period
commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned.
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions
of this Article, the term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed
not to include:
(a) the use of facilities solely for
the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise
belonging to the enterprise;
(b) the maintenance of a stock of goods
or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of
storage, display or delivery;
(c) the maintenance of a stock of goods
or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of
processing by another enterprise;
(d) the maintenance of a fixed place of
business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of
collecting information, for the enterprise;
(e) the maintenance of a fixed place of
business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any
other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character;
(f) the maintenance of a fixed place of
business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in subparagraphs
(a) to (e), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of
business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary
character.
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 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 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 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
State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
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 or
gains 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 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. Profits of an enterprise of a
Contracting State from the use, maintenance or rental of containers
(including trailers, barges and related equipment for the transport of
containers) used for the transport of goods or merchandise shall be taxable
only in that State, except where such containers are used for the transport
of goods or merchandise solely between places within the other Contracting
State.
3. For the purposes of this Article,
profits derived from the operation of ships or aircraft in international
traffic include profits derived from the rental of ships or aircraft if such
ships or aircraft are operated in international traffic or if such rental
profits are incidental to other profits described in paragraph 1 of this
Article.
4. If the place of effective and central
management of a shipping enterprise is aboard a ship, then it shall be
deemed to be situated in the Contracting State in which the home harbour of
the ship is situated, or, if there is no such home harbour, in the
Contracting State of which the operator of the ship is a resident.
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
(a) an enterprise of a Contracting
State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or
capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, or
(b) the same persons participate
directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an
enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the other Contracting
State,
and in either case conditions are made or
imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial or financial
relations which differ from those which would be made between independent
enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those conditions, have
accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those conditions, have
not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed
accordingly.
2. Where a Contracting State includes in
the profits of an enterprise of that State - and taxes accordingly - profits
on which an enterprise of the other Contracting State has been charged to
tax in that other State and the profits so included are claimed by the
first-mentioned State to be 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, where
that other State considers that the adjustment is justified. In determining
such adjustment, due regard shall be paid 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 Israel to a resident of Ireland may be taxed in Ireland. Such
dividends may also be taxed in Israel, and according to the laws of Israel,
but provided that the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of
Ireland the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount
of the dividend.
2. (a) Dividends paid by a company which is
a resident of Ireland to a resident of Israel may be taxed in Israel.
(b) Where, under paragraph 3, a
resident of Israel is entitled to a tax credit in respect of such a
dividend, tax may also be charged in Ireland, and according to the laws of
Ireland, on the aggregate of the amount or value of such dividend and the
amount of the tax credit at a rate not exceeding 10 per cent.
(c) Except as provided in subparagraph
(b), dividend paid by a company which is a resident of Ireland and which are
beneficially owned by a resident of Israel shall be exempt from any tax in
Ireland which is chargeable on dividends.
3. A resident of Israel who receives
dividends from a company which is a resident of Ireland shall, subject to
the provisions of paragraph 4 and provided he is the beneficial owner of the
dividends, be entitled to the tax credit in respect thereof to which an
individual resident in Ireland would have been entitled had he received
those dividends, and to the payment by Ireland of any excess of that tax
credit over any tax chargeable in accordance with the provisions of
paragraph 2(b) on those dividends.
4. The provisions of paragraph 3 shall not
apply where the beneficial owner of the dividends (being a company) is, or
is associated with, a company which either alone or together with one or
more associated companies controls directly or indirectly 10 per cent or
more of the voting power in the company paying the dividend. For the
purposes of this paragraph two companies shall be deemed to be associated if
one controls directly or indirectly more than 50 per cent of the voting
power in the other company, or a third company controls more than 50 per
cent of the voting power in both of them.
5. The preceding paragraphs shall not
affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which
the dividends are paid.
6. The term "dividends" as used in
this Article means income from shares, "jouissance" shares or "jouissance"
rights, mining shares, founders' 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 to the State of which the company making the
distribution is a resident.
7. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2
shall not apply if the recipient 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.
8. 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 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.
The competent authorities of the
Contracting State shall by mutual consent settle the mode of application of
this limitation.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of
paragraph 2, any such interest as is mentioned in paragraph 1 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 5 per cent of the gross amount of the
interest where such interest is paid:
(a) in connection with the sale on
credit of any industrial, commercial or scientific equipment.
(b) in connection with the sale on
credit of any merchandise by one enterprise to another enterprise, or
(c) on any loan of whatever kind
granted by a bank.
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 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
bonds or debentures, but does not include any income which is treated as a
dividend under Article 10. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be
regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3
shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of
a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting 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. 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.
7. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a
Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political
subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however,
the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting
State or not, has in a Contracting State permanent establishment or a fixed
base in connection with which the indebtness on which the 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.
8. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3
shall not apply if the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid
was created or assigned mainly for the purpose of taking advantage of this
Article and not for bona fide commercial reasons.
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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the
royalties, 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, video recordings, and films
or tapes for radio or television broadcasting), any patent, trade mark,
design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for information
concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The 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 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a
Contracting State where the payer is that State itself, a political
subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however,
the person paying the royalties, 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 obligation to pay the royalties was
incurred, and the royalties are borne that permanent establishment or fixed
base, then the royalties shall be deemed to arise in the Contracting 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
payment shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting
State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
7. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not
apply if the right or property giving rise to the royalties was created or
assigned mainly for the purpose of taking advantage of this Article and not
for bona fide commercial reasons.
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
Contracting 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 Contracting State.
4. 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 which is a resident of
the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State, but only if
the resident of the first-mentioned State owned either directly or
indirectly at any time within the two-year period preceding such sale,
exchange or other disposition shares giving the right to 10 per cent or more
of the voting power in the company. For the purposes of this paragraph
indirect ownership shall be deemed to include, but not be limited to,
ownership by a related person.
5. Gains from the alienation of shares or
similar rights in a company, 50 per cent or more of the assets of which
consist directly or indirectly of immovable property situated in a
Contracting State, may be taxed in that State. Gains from the alienation of
an interest in a partnership, trust or estate, the property of which
consists principally of immovable property situated in 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 14 Independent Personal Services
1. Income derived by 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. However, such
income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State if:
(a) the resident has a fixed base
regularly available to him in that other State for the purpose of performing
his activities; or
(b) the resident, being an individual,
is present in the other State for a period or periods exceeding in the
aggregate 183 days in any twelve month period commencing or ending in the
fiscal year concerned of that other State;
but only so much thereof as is attributable
to services performed in that other State.
2. The term "professional services" includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational
or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians,
lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15 Dependent Personal Services
1. Subject to the provisions of Article 16,
18, 19 and 20, 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 month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year
concerned, and
(b) the remuneration is paid by, or on
behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State, and
(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 other similar payments
derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of
the board of directors or any similar organ of a company which is a resident
of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
Article 17 Artistes And Athletes
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of
Articles 14 and 15, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as
an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television
artiste, or a musician, or as an athlete, from his personal activities as
such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other
State.
2. Where income in respect of personal
activities exercised by an entertainer or an athlete in his capacity as such
accrues not to the entertainer or athlete himself but to another person,
that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be
taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or
athlete are exercised.
Article 18 Pensions And Annuities
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2
of Article 19, pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of
a Contracting State in consideration of past employment and any retirement
annuity paid to such a resident shall be taxable only in that 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 Service
1. (a) Remuneration, other than a pension,
paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority
thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or
subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such remuneration shall be
taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in
that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(i) is a national of that State; or
( ii) did not become a resident of that
State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
2. (a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds
created by, a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local
authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that
State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such pension shall be
taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident
of, and a national of, that State.
3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16 and 18
shall apply to remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in
connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political
subdivision or a local authority thereof.
Article 20 Professors And Teachers
A professor or teacher who visits one of
the Contracting States for the principal purpose of teaching or carrying out
advanced study or research at any educational institution not operated for
profit in that Contracting State and who was immediately before that visit a
resident of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the
first-mentioned Contracting State for a period of two years from the date of
his arrival therein.
Article 21 Students And Business Apprentices
1. Payments which a student or a 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 Contracting 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 described in paragraph 1 shall, in addition, be entitled
during such education or training to the same exemptions, reliefs or
reductions in respect of taxes as are available to residents of the
Contracting State which he is visiting.
Article 22 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 beneficial owner 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
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.
Article 23 Elimination Of Double Taxation
1. Subject to the laws of Israel from time
to time in force regarding the allowance as a credit against Israeli tax of
tax paid in any country other than Israel, Irish tax paid in respect of
income derived from Ireland shall be allowed as a credit against Israeli tax
payable in respect of that income. The credit shall not, however, exceed
that portion of Israeli tax which the income from sources within Ireland
bears to the entire income subject to Israeli tax. In the case of a dividend
paid by a company which is a resident of Ireland to a company which is a
resident of Israel and which controls directly or indirectly 10 per cent or
more of the voting power in the company paying the dividend, the credit
shall take into account (in addition to any Irish tax for which credit may
be allowed under the provisions of the first sentence of this paragraph)
Irish tax payable by the company in respect of the profits out of which such
dividend is paid.
2. Subject to the provisions of the laws of
Ireland regarding the allowance as a credit against Irish tax of tax payable
in a territory outside Ireland (which shall not affect the general principal
hereof):
(a) Israeli tax payable under the laws
of Israel and in accordance with this Convention, whether directly or by
deduction, on profits, income or gains from sources within Israel (excluding
in the case of a dividend tax payable in respect of the profits out of which
the dividend is paid) shall be allowed as a credit against any Irish tax
computed by reference to the same profits, income or gains by reference to
which Israeli tax is computed.
(b) In the case of a dividend paid by a
company which is a resident of Israel to a company which is a resident of
Ireland and which controls directly or indirectly 10 per cent or more of the
voting power in the company paying the dividend, the credit shall take into
account (in addition to any Israeli tax for which credit may be allowed
under the provisions of subparagraph (a) of this paragraph) Israeli tax
payable by the company in respect of the profits out of which such dividend
is paid.
3. For the purposes of this Article,
profits, income and gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State which
may be taxed in the other Contracting State in accordance with this
Convention shall be deemed to be derived from sources in that other State.
Article 24 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 of a permanent
establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other
Contracting State shall not be less favourable levied in that other State
than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the
same activities. This provision shall not be construed as obliging a
Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any
personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on account
of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own
residents.
3. Except where the provisions of paragraph
1 of Article 9, paragraph 6 of Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12,
apply, interest (other than interest treated as a dividend), 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.
4. An enterprise 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. Nothing in this Article shall be
construed as preventing Israel from imposing income tax according to its
laws, in addition to the tax imposed upon the profits of a company resident
in Ireland, on the amount of the remittance from Israel of profits made by a
permanent establishment of such Irish company situated in Israel at a rate
not exceeding the rate applicable to dividends as specified in paragraph 1
of Article 10.
6. Payments made by an individual who is a
resident of a Contracting State to a pension scheme established in the other
Contracting State may be relieved from tax in the first-mentioned State; in
such case relief from tax shall be given in the same way and subject to the
same conditions and limitations as if the pension scheme was recognised for
tax purposes by the first-mentioned State, and as if the individual was
making the contributions to such a pension scheme in that State, provided
that:
(a) the pension scheme is accepted by
the competent authority of that State as corresponding to a pension scheme
recognised for tax purposes by that State;
(b) the individual was a resident of,
and was contributing for a period in excess of two years to the pension
scheme in, the other Contracting State before he became a resident of the
first-mentioned State; and
(c) for the period during which the
individual is entitled to relief under this paragraph for contributions to
the pension scheme in the other Contracting State, such individual shall be
precluded from enjoying any tax relief granted by the other Contracting
State in respect of the same contributions.
Article 25 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
24, 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 the
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. In particular, they may agree:
(a) to the same attribution of profits
of an enterprise of a Contracting State and its permanent establishment
situated in the other Contracting State;
(b) to the same allocation of income
between a resident of a Contracting State and any associated or related
person; or
(c) to the same classification of
particular items of income.
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 agreement to have an oral exchange of
opinions, such exchange may take place through a commission consisting of
representatives of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
5. If any difficulty or doubt arising as to
the interpretation or application of this Convention cannot be resolved by
the competent authorities pursuant to the previous paragraphs of this
Article, the case may, if both competent authorities and the taxpayer agree,
be submitted for arbitration, provided that the taxpayer agrees in writing
to be bound by the decision of the arbitration board. The decision of the
arbitration board in a particular case shall be binding on both Contracting
States with respect to that case. The procedures shall be established
between the Contracting States by notes to be exchanged through diplomatic
channels. The provisions of this paragraph shall have effect when the
Contracting States have so agreed through the exchange of diplomatic notes.
Article 26 Exchange Of Information
1. The competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for
carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of the domestic laws of
the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Convention insofar as
the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention. The exchange of
information is not restricted by Article 1. Any information received by a
Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as
information obtained under the domestic laws of that State and shall be
disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and
administrative bodies) involved in 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 a Contracting State the
obligation:
(a) to carry out administrative
measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or
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 27 Diplomatic Agents And Consular Officers
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the
fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the
general rules of international law or under the provisions of special
agreements.
Article 28 Entry Into Force
1. The Contracting States shall notify each
other that the constitutional requirements for the entry into force of this
Convention have been complied with.
2. This Convention shall enter into force
on the date of the later of the notifications referred to in paragraph 1 and
its provisions shall apply:
(a) In Israel:
(i) in respect of taxes withheld at
source, to amounts of income derived on or after 1 January 1996;
(ii) in respect of other taxes on
income, to such taxes chargeable for any taxable year beginning on or after
1 January 1996.
(b) In Ireland:
(i) as respects income tax and capital
gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after 6 April 1996;
(ii) as respects corporation tax, for
any financial year beginning on or after 1 January 1996.
Article 29 Termination
This Convention shall remain in force until
terminated by one of the Contracting States. 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
following after the period of five years from the date on which the
Convention enters into force. In such event the Convention shall cease to
have effect:
(a) In Israel:
(i) in respect of taxes withheld at
source, to amounts of income derived on or after 1 January in the calendar
year next following the year in which the notice is given;
(ii) in respect of other taxes on
income, to such taxes chargeable for any taxable year beginning on or after
1 January in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice
is given.
(b) In Ireland:
(i) as respects income tax and capital
gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after the sixth day of
April in the year next following the date on which the period specified in
the said notice of termination expires;
(ii) as respects corporation tax, for
any financial year beginning on or after the first day of January next
following the date on which the period specified in the said notice of
termination expires.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly
authorised thereto, have signed this Convention.
DONE at Dublin on 20th day of November,
1995 corresponding to 27 Cheshvan 5756, in duplicate in the English and
Hebrew languages, both texts being equally authentic.
Ruairi Quinn
For Ireland |
Zvi Gabay
For the State of Israel |
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Instrument
and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)
This Order gives the force of law to the
Convention with Israel which is set out in the Schedule. The effect of the
Convention is summarised as follows.
This Convention with Israel, which was
signed in Dublin on 20th November, 1995, is comprehensive in scope and is
based on the OECD model Convention.
It provides, with regard to income (which
includes capital gains) which under the laws of Ireland and the laws of
Israel may be taxed in both countries, for the allocation of taxing rights
between the two countries and for the granting of relief from double
taxation if under the Convention items of income continue to be taxable in
both countries.
For example, items such as business profits
and gains on movable property (provided that they do not arise through or
are not connected with a permanent establishment in the source state),
profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic and
non-government pensions, are taxable only in the state of residence of the
recipient.
Where both countries continue to have
taxing rights, for example, with regard to business profits arising through
a permanent establishment which an enterprise of one state as in the other
state, or dividends, interest or royalties received in one state from the
other state, the Convention provides that the state of residence of the
recipient will allow a credit against its own tax for the tax imposed on the
same income by the state of source. This double taxation is relieved.
Capital gains arising from the disposal of
immovable property, or of shares in a company or an interest in a
partnership, trust or estate, the majority of principal part of the assets
of which consist of immovable property, may be taxed by the state in which
the property is situated. Other gains, including gains arising from the
disposal of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic, are
normally taxable only in the state of residence of the taxpayer, unless they
arise from the disposal of assets of a permanent establishment or a fixed
base, or from shares in a company in the other state in which the alienator
has held 10 per cent or more of the voting power at any time in the previous
two years; if so, the gains may be taxed in that other state.
The Convention preserves the taxation
rights of a state in respect of income and capital gains arising from the
exploration or exploitation of natural resources in its territory.
The Convention also preserves a state's
taxing rights in respect of income arising from the provision in that state
of services for a period exceeding six months ending in the fiscal year
concerned by an enterprise of the other Contracting State.
In the case of dividends, interests and
royalties flowing between the two states, the Convention provides for a
withholding tax of 10 per cent of the gross amount. Except where the
shareholder is entitled to a refund of the Irish tax credit attaching to the
dividend, no withholding tax is imposed in Ireland under Irish domestic law.
The Convention also contains provisions for
safeguarding citizens and enterprises of one state against discriminatory
taxation in the other, for consultation between the competent authorities in
both states for the purpose of resolving any difficulties or doubts arising
as to the interpretation or application of the Convention and for the
exchange of information between these authorities as is necessary for
carrying out the provisions of the Convention or of th domestic laws of the
Contracting States concerning the taxes covered by the Convention.
Following ratification of the Convention
and its being given force in law, it will become operative in both States
for the tax periods beginning in 1996. |