Singapore

AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE AND
THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND
THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION
WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
Date of Conclusion: 9 July 1999.
Entry into Force: 27 August 2001.
Effective Date: 1 January 2002.*
* Year of assessment beginning on or after 1 January 2003 (Singapore).
The Government of The Republic of Singapore and The Government of The Republic of Turkey,
Desiring to conclude an Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income,
Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 – PERSONAL SCOPE
This Agreement shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
ARTICLE 2 – TAXES COVERED
1. This Agreement shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of each Contracting State or of its political subdivisions or local authorities, 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 this Agreement shall apply are in particular:
(a) in Singapore:
the income tax;
(hereinafter referred to as “Singapore tax”);
(b) in Turkey:
(i) the income tax;
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(ii) the corporation tax;
(iii) the levy imposed on the income tax and the corporation tax;
(hereinafter referred to as “Turkish tax”).
4. The Agreement shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes on income which are imposed after the date of signature of the Agreement in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of significant changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
ARTICLE 3 – GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this Agreement:
(a)
(i) the term “Turkey”, when used in a geographical sense, means the Turkish territory and territorial seas as well as the maritime areas adjacent to its territorial sea over which it has sovereign rights or jurisdiction for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, pursuant to international law;
(ii) the term “Singapore” means the Republic of Singapore;
(b) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean Turkey or Singapore as the context requires;
(c) the term “tax” means any tax covered by Article 2 of this Agreement;
(d) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons which is treated as a taxable entity for tax purposes;
(e) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(f) the term “national” means:
(i) any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) any legal person, partnership and association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;
(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 Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
(h) the term “competent authority” means:
(i) in Turkey, the Minister of Finance or his authorised representative; and
(ii) in Singapore, the Minister for Finance or his authorised representative;
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(i) 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.
2. 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 laws of that State concerning the taxes to which the Agreement applies.
ARTICLE 4 – RESIDENT
1. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “resident of a Contracting State” means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
(a) he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to him in both States, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);
(b) if the State in which he has his centre of vital interests cannot be determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either State, he shall be deemed to be a resident 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 State of which he is a national;
(d) if he is a national of both States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which its place of effective management is situated. If its place of effective management cannot be determined, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
ARTICLE 5 – PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term “permanent establishment” means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term “permanent establishment” includes especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
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(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;
(g)
(i) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project, but only if such site or project continues for a period of more than six months;
(ii) the furnishing of services, including consultancy services and supervisory activities by an enterprise through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise for such purpose, but only where activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within the country for a period or periods aggregating more than six months within any 12-month period.
3. 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 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.
4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person – other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 5 applies – is acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the first- mentioned Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, if such a person:
(a) has and habitually exercises in that State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 3 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business, would not make this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the provisions of that paragraph; or
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(b) has no such authority, but habitually maintains in the first- mentioned State a stock of goods or merchandise from which he regularly delivers goods or merchandise on behalf of the enterprise.
5. 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 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.
6. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
ARTICLE 6 – INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term “immovable property” shall have the meaning which it has under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, fishing places of every kind, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources; ships, boats and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable property used for the performance of independent personal services.
ARTICLE 7 – BUSINESS PROFITS
1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to that permanent establishment.
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.
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3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the business of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere, in accordance with the provisions of and subject to the limitations of the taxation laws of that State.
4. 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.
5. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Agreement, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
ARTICLE 8 – SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
1. Profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State derived from the other Contracting State from the operation of aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in that State.
2. Profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State derived from the other Contracting State from the operation of ships in international traffic may be taxed in that State. However, such profits derived from sources within the other State may also be taxed in that other State provided that the tax so charged in that other State shall be reduced by 50 per cent.
3. For the purpose of this Article, profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall include profits derived from the use, maintenance or rental of containers (including trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers) if such profits are incidental to the profits to which the provisions of paragraph 1 or 2 apply.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
5. Interest on funds connected with the operation of aircraft in international traffic shall be regarded as profits derived from the operation of such aircraft, and the provisions of Article 11 shall not apply in relation to such interest.
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.
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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 by the first-mentioned State claimed 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 the adjustment justified. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Agreement and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.
ARTICLE 10 – DIVIDENDS
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed:
(a) 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the recipient is a company (excluding partnership) which holds directly at least 25 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends;
(b) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to the Government of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned State.
4. For the purposes of paragraph 3 the term “Government” shall have the same meaning as in paragraph 4 of Article 11.
5. The term “dividends” as used in this Article means income from shares, “jouissance” shares or “jouissance” rights, 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 of the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.
6. Profits of a company of a Contracting State carrying on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein may, after having been taxed under Article 7, be taxed on the remaining amount in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated and in accordance with sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph 2 of this Article.
7. 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 in the case of a resident of Turkey, performs in Singapore independent personal services from a fixed base situated in Singapore, 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.
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8. Subject to the paragraph 6 of this Article, 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 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 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 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:
(a) 7.5 per cent of the gross amount of the interest if it is received by any financial institution;
(b) 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest in other cases.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to the Government of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State.
4. For the purpose of paragraph 3, the term “Government”:
(a) in the case of Singapore means the Government of Singapore, and shall include:
(i) the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Board of Commissioners of Currency;
(ii) the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Pte Ltd.;
(iii) a statutory body; and
(iv) any institution wholly or mainly owned by the Government of Singapore as may be agreed from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States;
(b) in the case of Turkey, means the Government of Turkey and shall include:
(i) the Central Bank of Turkey;
(ii) the Eximbank of Turkey;
(iii) a statutory body; and
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(iv) any institution wholly or mainly owned by the Government of Turkey as may be agreed from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
5. 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 attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures.
6. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 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 in the case of a resident of Turkey, performs in Singapore independent personal services from a fixed base situated in Singapore, 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.
7. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority, a statutory body or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
8. 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
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.
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, or the alienation of, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films, or films or tapes used for radio or television broadcasting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated 9
therein, or in the case of a resident of Turkey, performs in Singapore independent personal services from a fixed base situated in Singapore, 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 when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority, a statutory body 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 liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties paid, 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 Agreement.
ARTICLE 13 – CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such a fixed base, may, subject to the provisions of Article 12, be taxed in the other State.
3. Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic, or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft shall be taxable only in that State.
4. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in the preceding paragraphs of this Article and arising in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 4, gains derived by the Government of a Contracting State from the alienation of any property referred to in paragraph 4 shall be taxable only in that Contracting State. The term “Government” shall have the same meaning as in paragraph 4 of Article 11.
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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 such services or activities are performed in that other State and if:
(a) he has a fixed base regularly available to him in that other State for the purpose of performing those services or activities; or
(b) he is present in that other State for the purpose of performing those services or activities for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days within a calendar year.
In such circumstances, only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base or is derived from the services or activities performed during his presence in that other State, as the case may be, may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term “professional services” includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
ARTICLE 15 – DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 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 the calendar 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 shall be taxable only 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 of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
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ARTICLE 17 – ARTISTES AND SPORTSMEN
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 a sportsman, 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 or in connection with personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsman accrues not to the entertainer or sportsman 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 sportsman are exercised.
3. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to income derived from activities performed in a Contracting State by artistes or sportsmen if the visit to that State is wholly or substantially supported by public funds of the other Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority or a statutory thereof.
ARTICLE 18 – PENSIONS
1. Subject to the provisions 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 State. The provision shall also apply to life annuities paid to a resident of a Contracting State.
2. Pensions and life annuities paid, and other periodical or occasional payments made by a Contracting State or one of its political subdivisions in respect of insuring personal accidents shall be taxable only in that State.
ARTICLE 19 – GOVERNMENT SERVICE
1.
(a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision, a local authority or a statutory body thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or political subdivision, local authority or statutory body thereof shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(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, a local authority or a statutory body thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or political subdivision, local authority or statutory body thereof shall be taxable only in that State.
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(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 salaries, wages and other similar remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision, a local authority or a statutory body thereof.
ARTICLE 20 – TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
1. Payments which a student or business apprentice who is or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that other State, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.
2. Likewise, remuneration received by a teacher or by an instructor who is or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State for the primary purpose of teaching or engaging in scientific research for a period or periods not exceeding two years, shall be exempt from tax in that State on his remuneration for teaching or research, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.
3. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article shall only apply to income from research if such research is undertaken in the public interest and not primarily for the benefit of some other private person or persons.
4. Remuneration which a student or a trainee who is or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State derives from an employment which he exercises in the first-mentioned State for a period or periods not exceeding 183 days in a calendar year, in order to obtain practical experience related to his education or formation, shall not be taxed in that State.
ARTICLE 21 – OTHER INCOME
Items of income arising from a Contracting State, which are not expressly mentioned in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement, may be taxed in that State.
ARTICLE 22 – LIMITATION OF RELIEF
1. Where this Agreement provides (with or without other conditions) that income from sources in Turkey shall be exempt from tax, or taxed at a reduced rate, in Turkey and under the laws in force in Singapore the said income is subject to tax by reference to the amount thereof which is remitted to or received in Singapore and not by reference to the full amount thereof, then the exemption or reduction of tax to be allowed under ths Agreement in Turkey shall apply only to so much of the income as is remitted to or received in Singapore.
2. However, this limitation does not apply to income derived by the Government of Singapore or any person approved by the competent authority of Singapore for the purpose of this paragraph. The term “Government of Singapore” shall have the same meaning as in paragraph 4(a) of Article 11.
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ARTICLE 23 – ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. The laws in force in either Contracting State shall continue to govern the taxation of income in the respective Contracting States except where an express provision to the contrary is made in this Agreement. Where income is subject to tax in both Contracting States, relief from double taxation shall be given in accordance with the following paragraphs of this Article.
2. Where a resident of Singapore derives income from Turkey or receives such income in Singapore which in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, may be taxed in Turkey, Singapore shall, subject to its laws regarding the allowance as a credit against Singapore tax the tax paid in any country other than Singapore, allow the Turkish tax paid, whether directly or by deduction, as a credit against the Singapore tax payable on the income of that resident. Where the income is a dividend paid by a company which is a resident of Turkey to a company which is a resident of Singapore and which owns directly or indirectly not less than 10 per cent of the share capital of the company paying the dividend, the deduction shall take into account the Turkish tax paid by that company on the portion of its profits out of which the dividend is paid. The credit shall not, however, exceed that part of the Singapore tax, as computed before the credit is given, which is attributable to such income.
3. Where a resident of Turkey derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, may be taxed in Singapore and in Turkey, Turkey shall, subject to the provisions of Turkish taxation laws regarding credit for foreign taxes, allow as a deduction from the tax on income of that person, an amount equal to the tax on income paid in Singapore.
Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the income tax computed in Turkey before the deduction is given, which is appropriate to the income which may be taxed in Singapore.
4. The amount of Turkish tax payable in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement on dividends, interests, royalties and business profits exempted or reduced under any Turkish law providing for special incentive measures for the promotion of economic development shall be allowed as a credit against the Singapore tax in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2.
5. The provisions of paragraph 4 shall cease to have effect after ten years from the year of assessment beginning on the first day of January of the second calendar year following that in which this Agreement enters into force.
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.
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 6 of Article 10, the taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities.
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3. Nothing in this Article shall be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to –
(a) residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for tax purposes which it grants to its own residents; or
(b) nationals of the other Contracting State those personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for tax purposes which it grants to its own nationals who are not resident in that Contracting State or to such other persons as may be specified in the taxation laws of that Contracting State.
4. Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises of the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
5. Where a Contracting State grants tax incentives to its nationals designed to promote economic or social development in accordance with its national policy and criteria, it shall not be construed as discrimination under this Article.
6. The provisions of this Article shall apply only to taxes which are the subject of this Agreement.
ARTICLE 25 – MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a resident of a Contracting State considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with this Agreement, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic laws 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 Agreement.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with the Agreement.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Agreement. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Agreement.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs.
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 Agreement or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Agreement insofar as the taxation
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thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. 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 Agreement. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
(a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
(c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).
ARTICLE 27 – MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR POSTS
Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
ARTICLE 28 – ENTRY INTO FORCE
Each of the Contracting States shall notify the other Contracting State of the completion of the procedures required by the law of the respective Contracting State for bringing into force this Agreement. The Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the later of these notifications and shall thereupon have effect:
(a) in Singapore:
in respect of Singapore tax for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first day of January of the second calendar year following that of entry into force of the Agreement;
(b) in Turkey:
for taxes with respect to every taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January of the year following that of entry into force of the Agreement.
ARTICLE 29 – TERMINATION
This Agreement shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Agreement at any time after five years from the date on which the Agreement enters into force by giving to the other Contracting State notice of 16
termination, through the diplomatic channel, at least six months before the end of any calendar year. In such event the Agreement shall cease to have effect:
(a) in Singapore:
in respect of Singapore tax for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first day of January in the second calendar year following the year in which the notice of termination is given;
(b) in Turkey:
for taxes with respect to every taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January of the year following that in which the notice of termination is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.
DONE in duplicate at Singapore this 9th day of July of the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine in the Turkish and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE REPUBLIC OF
SINGAPORE
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE REPUBLIC OF
TURKEY
KOH CHER SIANG
Commissioner of Inland Revenue
FÜSUN CETINTAS
Ambassador
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PROTOCOL (1999)
At the time of signing the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Singapore and the Government of the Republic of Turkey for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, both Governments have agreed that the following provisions shall form an integral part of the Agreement.
1. For the purpose of paragraph 3 of Article 4, “place of effective management” means the office where substantial business activities are carried on and the management and control of the business is exercised.
2. For the purpose of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Article 10, dividends paid by a company which is a resident of Singapore to a resident of Turkey are not, under the current laws of Singapore, subjected to a tax on dividends. Under the full imputation system adopted by Singapore, the tax deductible from dividends is a tax on the profits or income of the company and not a tax on dividends within the meaning of Article 10.
3. For the purpose of paragraph 5 of Article 10, the term “dividend” includes, in the case of Turkey, distribution derived from an investment fund and investment trust, which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of that State.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Protocol.
DONE in duplicate at Singapore this 9th day of July of the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine in the Turkish and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE REPUBLIC OF
SINGAPORE
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
THE REPUBLIC OF
TURKEY
KOH CHER SIANG
Commissioner of Inland Revenue
FÜSUN CETINTAS
Ambassador
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