China - Austria Tax Treaty
AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME AND CAPITAL
The Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Austria;
Desiring to conclude an Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital;
Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 PERSONAL SCOPE
This Agreement shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
ARTICLE 2 TAXES COVERED
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This Agreement shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its political subdivisions of local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
-
There shall be regarded as taxes on income and on capital all taxes imposed on total income, on total capital, or on elements of income or of capital, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.
-
The existing taxes to which the Agreement shall apply are in particular:
(a) in the People’s Repubilc of China:
(i) the individual income tax;
(ii) the income tax concerning joint ventures using Chinese and
foreign
investment;
(iii) the income tax concerning foreign enterprises; and
(iv) the local income tax;
(hereinafter referred to as “Chinese tax” ) ;
(b) in the Republic of Austria:
(i) the income tax;
(ii) the corporation tax;
(iii) the directors’tax;
(iv) the capital tax;
(v) the tax on property eluding death duties;
(vi) the tax on commercial and industrial enterprises, including the
tax
levied on the sum of wages;
(vii) the land tax;
(viii) the tax on agricultural and forestry enterprises; and
(ix) the tax on the value of vacant plots; (hereinafter referred to as “Austrian tax” ) .
- The Agreement shall also apply to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of this Agreement in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes referred to in paragraph 3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any substantial changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws within a reasonable period of time after such changes.
ARTICLE 3 GENERAL DEFINITIONS
- For the purposes of this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) the term “China” means the People’s Republic of China and, when used in
geographical sense, means all the territory of the People’s Republic
of
China, including its territorial sea, in which the Chinese laws
relating to
taxation apply, and any area beyond its territorial sea, within which
the
People’s Republic of China has sovereign rights of exploration for and
exploitation of resources of the seabed and its sub-soil and
superjacent
water resources in accordance with international law;
(b) the term “Austria” means the Republic of Austria and, when used in geographical sense, means the territory of the Republic of Austria;
(c) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting
State” mean
China or Austria as the context requires;
(d) the term “tax” means Chinese tax or Austrian tax, as the context requires;
(e) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
(f) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity
which is
treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(g) 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 Contracring State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
(h) the term “nationals” means all individuals possessing the nationality of a
Contracting State and all juridical persons created or organized under the
laws of that Contracting State and all organizations without juridical
personality treated for tax purposes as juridical persons
created or
organized under the laws of that Contracting State;
(i) the term “international traffic” means any transport by a ship or
aircraft
operated by an enterprise which has its place of head office or of effective
management in a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft
is
operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
(j) the term “competent authority” means, in the case of China, the Ministry of Finance or its authorized representative and, in the case of Austria, the Federal Minister of Finance.
- As regards the application of this Agreement by a Contracting
State any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise
requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of
that Contracting State concerning the taxes to which this Agreement applies.
ARTICLE 4 RESIDENT
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For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “resident of a
Contracting State” means any person who, under the laws of that Contracting State, is
liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of head office, place of effective management or any other criterion of a similar nature. -
Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
(a) he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he
has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home
available to him in both Contracting States, 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) ;
(b) if the Contracting State in which he has his centre of vital
interests
cannot be determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to
him in either Contracting State, 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 endeavour to
settle
the question by mutual agreement according to Article 26.
- 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 Contracting State in which its place of head office
or of effective
management is situated.
ARTICLE 5 PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
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For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “permanent establishment” means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
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The term “permanent establishment” includes especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
(e) a workshop; and
(f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of
extraction of
natural resources.
- The term “permanent establishment” likewise encompasses:
(a) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation
project or
supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only where such
site,
project or activities continue for a period of more than six months;
(b) the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an
enterprise
of a Contracting State through employees or other personnel in the other
Contracting State, but only where such activities continue (for the
same
project or a connected project) for a period or periods aggregating
more
than six months within any twelve-month period.
-
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 to 3, 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 sub-paragraphs (a) to
(e),
provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting
from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
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Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a
person—other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 6 applies—is acting
in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State and has and habitually exercises an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent
establishment in the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of any activities which
that person undertakes for the enterprise, 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. -
An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to
have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that other Contracting State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business. However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, he will not be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this paragraph. -
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 Contracting State (whether through
a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
ARTICLE 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
-
Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from
immovable property situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State. -
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 and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property. -
The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.
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The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to 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
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The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that Contracting 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 that other Contracting State but only so much of them as is attributable to
that permanent establishment. -
Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise
of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State
through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar
activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the
enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment. -
In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of
the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses
so incurred,
whether in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
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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. -
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.
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For the purposes of paragraphs 1 to 5, 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.
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Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Agreement, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
ARTICLE 8
SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
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Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of head office or of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
-
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
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.
ARTICLE 10 DIVIDENDS
-
Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a
Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State. -
However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that Contracting State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed:
(a) 7 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company which holds directly at least 25 per cent of the voting shares of the company paying the dividends;
(b) 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividents in all other cases.
the provisions of this paragraph shall not affect the taxation of
the
company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.
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The term “dividends” as used in this Article means income from shares or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as
income from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of the Contracting State of which the company
making the distribution is a resident. -
The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other Contracting 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 of fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply. -
Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State
derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other Contracting 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 Contracting 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 Contracting 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 that other Contracting State.
ARTICLE 11 INTEREST
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Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident
of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the laws of that Contracting 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. -
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that Contracting State, where the interest is paid to:
(a) in the People’s Republic of China;
(i) the Government of the People’s Republic of China;
(ii) the People’s Bank of China;
(iii) the Bank of China or China International Trust and
Investment
Corporation by directly or indirectly providing loans;
(b) in the Republic of Austria:
(i) the Government of the Republic of Austria;
(ii) the Austrian National Bank;
(iii) the Austrian Control Bank Corporation.
- The term “interest” as used in this Article means income from debt claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right
to participate in the debtor’s profits, and in particular, income
from government
securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and
prizes
attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures.
-
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 Contracting 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 Atricle 14, as the case may be, shall apply. -
Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when
the payer is the Government of that Contracting State, a local authority thereof or a resident of that Contracting State. Where, however, the person paying the interest,
whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State
a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne
by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to
arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated. -
Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of
the interest, having regard to the debt claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the
last-mentioned amount. in such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Agreement.
ARTICLE 12 ROYALTIES
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Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise, and according to the laws of that Contracting 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 term “royalties” as used in this Article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films and films or tapes
for radio or television broadcasting, any patent, know-how, trade mark, design or
model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment, or for information concerning industrial,
commercial or scientific experience. -
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 Contracting 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. ln such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply. -
Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is the Government of that Contracting State, a local authority thereof or a resident of that Contracting State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether
he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting
State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the liability
to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such
permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to
arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated. -
Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are
paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments
shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Agreement.
ARTICLE 13 CAPITAL GAINS
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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 Contracting State.
-
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 a fixed base, may be taxed in that other Contracting State. -
Gains from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of head office or
of effective management of the enterprise is situated. -
Gains from the alienation of shares of the capital stock of a company the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be taxed in that Contracting State.
-
Gains from the alienation of shares other than those mentioned
in paragraph 4 representing a participation in a company which is a resident of a Contracting State may be taxed in that Contracting State. -
Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1 to 5 and
arising in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State. Where,
however, such gains do not arise in the other Contracting State they shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
ARTICLE 14 INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
- 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 Contracting State except in one of the following circumstances, when
such income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State:
(a) if he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other
Contracting
State for the purpose of performing his activities; in that case,
only so
much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base may be taxed in
that other Contracting State;
(b) if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or
periods
exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the calendar year concerned; in that
case, only so much of the income as is derived from his
activities
performed in that other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
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
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Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18, 19, 20 and 21,
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 Contracting 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 Contracting State. -
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 Contracting State if:
(a) the recipient is present in the other Contracting State for a
period or
periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the calendar year
concerned; and
(b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who
is not a
resident of that other Contracting State; and
(c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in that other Contracting State.
- Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, remuneration
derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in internatonal traffic may be taxed in the Contracting State in which the place of head office or of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
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 of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
ARTICLE 17 ARTISTES AND ATHLETES
-
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 Contracting State. -
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. -
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income
derived by
entertainers or athletes who are residents of a Contracting State
from the activities
exercised in the other Contracting State under a plan of cultural exchange
between the
Governments of both Contracting States, shall be exempted from tax in
that other
Contracting State.
ARTICLE 18 PENSIONS
-
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 shall be taxable only in that Contracting State. -
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, pensions paid
and other similar payments made under a public scheme which is part of the social security system or a special fund of a Contracting State or a local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
ARTICLE 19 GOVERNMENT SERVICE
- (a) Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by the
Government of a Contracting State or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to the Government of that Contracting State or a
local authority thereof, in the discharge of functions of a governmental
nature, shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
(b) However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting
State if the services are rendered in that other Contracting State
and the
individual is a resident of that other Contracting State who:
(i) is a national of that other Contracting State; or
(ii) did not become a resident of that other Contracting State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
- (a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds to which contributions are
made by,
the Government of a Contracting State or a local authority thereof
to an individual in respect of services rendered to the Government of
that Contracting State or a local authority thereof shall be taxable only in
that Contracting 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 other
Contracting
State.
- The provisions of Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18 shall apply to
remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by the Government of a Contracting State or a local authority thereof.
ARTICLE 20 TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS
An individual who is, or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State,
a
resident of the other Contracting State and is present in
the first-mentioned
Contracting State for a period not exceeding three years from the
date of his first
arrival in the first-mentioned Contracting State for the sole purpose
of teaching,
giving lectures or conducting research at a university, college, school or
educational
institution or scientific research institution accredited by the
Government of that
Contracting State in the first-mentioned Contracting State, shall be exempt
from tax in
the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of remuneration for
such teaching,
lectures or research.
ARTICLE 21 STUDENTS AND TRAINEES
A Student, business apprentice or trainee who is or was immediately
before
visiting the other Contracting State a resident of a Contracting
State, and who is
present in the other Contracting State solely for the purpose of his
education or
training, shall be exempt from tax in the other Contracting State with the
following
payments:
(a) any payments from abroad of the other Contracting State for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training;
(b) the award, grant and allowance from a State, charitable, scientific, cultural or educational organization for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training; and
(c) income which he derives from an employment which he exercises in the other Contracting State for the purposes of practical training for not longer than a total of six months in any taxable year.
ARTICLE 22 OTHER INCOME
-
Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement shall be taxable
only in that Contracting State. -
The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the
recipient of such income who is 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 Contracting State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply. -
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 items of
income of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing
Articles of this Agreement and arising in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
ARTICLE 23 CAPITAL
-
Capital represented by immovable property referred to in Article 6, owned by a resident of a Contracting State and situated, in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
-
Capital represented by movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting state or by movable property pertaining to a fixed base
available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for
the purpose of performing independent personal services may be taxed in that other
Contracting State. -
Capital represented by ships and aircraft operated in international traffic and by movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships and
aircraft shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of head office or of effective management of the enterprise is situated. -
All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
ARTICLE 24
METHODS FOR ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
- In China, double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:
(a) Where a resident of China derives income from Austria, the amount of Austrian tax payable in respect of that income in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement shall be allowed as a credit against the Chinese tax imposed on that resident. The amount of credit, however, shall not exceed the amount of the Chinese tax computed as appropriate to that income in accordance with the taxation laws and regulations of China.
(b) Where the income derived from Austria is a dividend paid by a company
which is a resident of Austria to a company which is a resident of China
and which owns not less than 10 per cent of the shares of the company
paying the dividends, the credit shall take into account the Austrian
tax
payable by the company paying the dividends in respect of its income.
- In Austria, double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:
(a) Where a resident of Austria derives income or owns capital
which, in
accordance with the provisions of this Agreenent may be taxed in China,
Austria shall, subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph (b), exempt such
income or capital from tax. Austria may, however, in calculating the
amount of tax on the remaining income or capital of such resident,
take
into account the exempted income or capital.
(b) Where a resident of Austria derives items of income which, in accordance with the provisions of Articles 10, 11, 12, paragraphs 4 to 6 of Article 13 and paragraph 3 of Article 22 may be taxed in China, Austria shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the tax paid in China. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to such items of income derived from China.
(c) For the purposes of subparagraph (b) above the tax paid in China shall be deemed to be
(i) in the case of dividends and interest 10 per cent, and
(ii) in the case of royalties 20 per cent of the gross amount of such income.
(d) Where a company resident in Austria owns at least 10 per cent
of the
capital of a company resident in China, Austria shall, notwithstanding the
provisions of sub-paragraphs (b) and (c) and subject to the provisions
of
the law of Austria regarding the treatment of intercorporate dividends,
exempt the dividends from its taxes on income and the value of the shares
from its taxes on capital.
ARTICLE 25
NON-DISCRIMINATION
-
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 Contracting State in the same circumstances are or may be
subjected. The provisions of this paragraph shall, notwithstanding the provisions of
Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States. -
The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that other Contracting State than the taxation levied on enterprises
of that other Contracting State carrying on the same activities. The provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant
to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents. -
Except where the provisions of Article 9, paragraph 7 of
Article 11, of paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties and other disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shal1,
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 Contracting State. Similarly, any debts of an
enterprise of a
Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the
purpose
of determining the taxable capital of such enterprise, be deductible under the
same
conditions as if they had been contracted to a resident of the
first-mentioned
Contracting State.
-
Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more than one
resident of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned
Contracting 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 Contracting State are or may be subjected. -
The provisions of this Article shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 2, apply to taxes of every kind and description.
ARTICLE 26
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
-
Where a person considers that the measures adopted by one or
both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic laws of those Contracting 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 25, 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 this Agreement. -
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 provisions of this Agreement. Any agreement reached shall be
implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic laws of the Contracting States. -
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 this Agreement. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in this Agreement. -
The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of paragraphs 2 and 3. When it seems advisable for the purpose of reaching
agreement, the representatives of the competent authorities may meet together for an oral exchange of opinions.
ARTICLE 27 EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
-
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall
exchange such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this
Agreement, in particular fot the prevention of evasion of taxes. The exchange of information is not restricted by Article 1. Any information received by a Contracting
State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic laws of that Contracting 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 Agreement. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions. -
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 of the other Contracting State;
(b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or
in the
normal course of the administration of that or of the other
Contracting
State;
(c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy.
ARTICLE 28
DIPLOMATIC AGENTS AND CONSULAR OFFICERS
Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the tax privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
ARTICLE 29 ENTRY INTO FORCE
This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the third
month next
following that in which the Contracting States exchange notes through
diplomatic
channels notifying each other that the legal procedures necessary in each
country for
the entry into force of this Agreement have been completed.
This Agreement shall have effect for any taxable year beginning on or after the
first
day of January in the calendar year next following that in which
this exchange of
notes takes place.
ARTICLE 30 TERMINATION
This Agreement shall continue in effect indefinitely but either of the Contracting State may, on or before the thirtieth day of June in any calendar year beginning after the expiration of a period of five years from the date of its entry into force, give to the other Contracting State, through the diplomatic channel, written notice of termination. In such event this Agreement shall cease to have effect for any taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice of termination is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the representatives of the two Contracting State,
duly
authorized thereto, have signed this Agreement.
DONE at Beijing on the 10th day of April 1991, in duplicate in the Chinese,
German
and English languages, all three texts being equally authentic. In
case of any
divergence in the interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
For the Government For the Government
of the People’s Republic of China of the Republic of Austria