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. |