Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Swiss Federal Council have signed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.
SRO 1290(I)/2008Tax treaties
SRO 1290(I)/2008 is an Income Tax SRO dated 20 December 2008, listed by FBR as "Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Swiss Federal Council have signed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.".
The text below was extracted automatically from the text layer of the official PDF. Line breaks and table layout may differ from the original, and where FBR scanned the paper and added a machine-read text layer, that layer can contain misread characters. Check the official PDF before relying on any wording or figure.
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GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN
REVENUE DIVISION
FEDERAL BOARD OF REVENUE
******
Islamabad, the December 20, 2008.
N O T I F I C A T I O N
(Income Tax)
S.R.O.1290(I)/2008.- WHEREAS the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
and the Swiss Federal Council have signed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation
with respect to Taxes on Income on the 19th day of July 2005, as reproduced in the Annexure to
this notification;
AND WHEREAS the aforesaid Convention has been ratified by both the Contracting
States and the Instruments of Ratification have been exchanged on the 24th day of November,
2008, and upon entry into force of this Convention its provisions shall override previous
Convention of the Contracting States regarding Avoidance of Double Taxation with respect to
Taxes on Income;
NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section
107 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 (XLIX of 2001), the Federal Government is pleased to
direct that the provisions of the said Convention shall have effect from the date of exchange of
Instruments of Ratification and shall apply,-
(a) in Pakistan for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of July of the
calendar year next following that of the entry into force of the Convention; and
(b) in Switzerland for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January of the
calendar year next following that of the entry into force of the Convention.
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Annexure
“C O N V E N T I O N
BETWEEN
THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN
AND
THE SWISS CONFEDERATION
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION
WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN
AND
THE SWISS FEDERAL COUNCIL
DESIRING to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on
income
HAVE AGREED as follows: -
ARTICLE 1
PERSONAL SCOPE
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the
Contracting States.
ARTICLE 2
TAXES COVERED
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or
of its political subdivisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are in particular:
(a) in Pakistan:
the income tax,
the super tax, and
the surcharge
(hereinafter referred to as "Pakistan tax");
(b) in Switzerland:
the federal, cantonal and communal taxes on income (total income, earned income, income
from capital, industrial and commercial profits, capital gains, and other items of income)
(hereinafter referred to as "Swiss tax").
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3. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are
imposed after the date of signature of the Convention in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes
by either Contracting State. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each
other of any substantial changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
ARTICLE 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) The term “Pakistan” when used in a geographical sense means Pakistan as defined in the
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and includes any area outside the
territorial waters of Pakistan which under the laws of Pakistan and international law is an
area within which Pakistan exercises sovereign rights and exclusive jurisdiction with
respect to the natural resources of the seabed and subsoil and superjacent waters;
(b) the term "Switzerland" means the Swiss Confederation;
(c) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean Pakistan or
Switzerland as the context requires;
(d) the term "person" includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
(e) the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body
corporate for tax purposes;
(f) the terms "enterprise of a Contracting State" and "enterprise of the other Contracting State"
mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a Contracting State and an
enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
(g) the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an
enterprise which has its place of effective management in a Contracting State, except when
the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
(h) the term "nationals" means:
(i) all individuals possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving their status
as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State.
(i) the term "tax" means Swiss tax or Pakistan tax as the context requires;
(j) the term "competent authority" means:
(i) in the case of Pakistan, the Central Board of Revenue or its
authorised representative;
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(ii) in the case of Switzerland, the Director of the Federal Tax
Administration or his authorised representative.
2. As regards the application of the Convention by a Contracting State, any term not defined
therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law
of that State concerning the taxes to which the Convention applies.
ARTICLE 4
RESIDENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a Contracting State" means any
person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence,
place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature. But this term does not include any
person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State.
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
State in which he has an habitual abode;
(c) if he has an habitual abode in both 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 State in which its
place of effective management is situated.
ARTICLE 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "permanent establishment" means a fixed
place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
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(e) a workshop;
(f) a warehouse in relation to a person providing storage facilities for others; and
(g) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.
3. A building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or any supervisory activity in
connection therewith constitutes a permanent establishment only if it lasts more than six months.
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term "permanent
establishment" shall be deemed not to include:
(a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage or display 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 or display;
(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 advertising, for the
supply of information, for scientific research or for similar activities which have a
preparatory or auxiliary character, for the enterprise.
5. A person acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting
State - other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies - shall be deemed
to be a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned State if:
(a) he has, and habitually exercises in that State, an authority to conclude contracts in the name
of the enterprise, unless his activities are limited to the purchase of goods or merchandise for
the enterprise; or
(b) he has no such authority, but he or the enterprise habitually maintains in the first-mentioned
State a stock of goods or merchandise from which he regularly delivers goods or
merchandise on behalf of the enterprise.
6. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance enterprise of a
Contracting State shall, except in regard to re-insurance, be deemed to have a permanent
establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects premiums in the territory of that other State
or insures risks situated therein through a person other than an agent of an independent status to
whom paragraph 7 applies.
7. An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in a Contracting State
merely because it carries on business in that State through a broker, general commission agent or
any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary
course of their business. However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or
almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, he will not be considered an agent of an independent
status within the meaning of this paragraph.
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8. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled
by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that
other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute
either company a permanent establishment of the other.
ARTICLE 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property (including
income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that
other State.
2. The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning which it has under the law of the
Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The term shall in any case include
property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry,
rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct of
immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working of, or
the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resource; ships 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 directly or indirectly
attributable to that permanent establishment.
2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries
on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there
shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it
might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or
similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the
enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.
3. In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions
all expenses of the enterprise (including executive and general administrative expenses) which
would be deductible if the permanent establishment were an independent enterprise and which are
reasonably allocable to the permanent establishment, whether such expenses were incurred in the
Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
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4. Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to be
attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the
enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from
determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary; the method of
apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the
principles contained in this Article.
5. No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment by reason of the mere purchase
by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.
6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed to the permanent
establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and
sufficient reason to the contrary.
7. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of
this Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this
Article.
ARTICLE 8
SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
1. Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in
the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, profits derived from the operation of ships in
international traffic may be taxed in the Contracting State in which such operation is carried on; but
the tax so charged shall not exceed 50 per cent of the tax otherwise imposed by the internal law of
that State.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 and 2 shall likewise apply in respect of the participation in a
pool, in a joint business or in an international operations agency of any kind by enterprises engaged
in the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic.
4. If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise is aboard a ship, then it shall
be deemed to be situated in the Contracting State in which the home harbour of the ship is situated,
or, if there is no such home harbour, in the Contracting State of which the operator of the ship is a
resident.
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,
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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
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
partnerships) which owns directly at least 20 per cent of the capital of the company paying
the dividends; and
(b) 20 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of
application of these limitations.
This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the
dividends are paid.
3. The term "dividends" as used in this Article means income from shares, "jouissance" shares
or "jouissance" rights, mining shares, founders' shares or other rights, not being debt-claims,
participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same
taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of the State of which the company making the
distribution is a resident.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the
dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State
of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, through a permanent establishment
situated therein, or performs in that other 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 or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7
or Article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from
the other Contracting State, that other 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 such other Contracting State.
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ARTICLE 11
INTEREST
1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State
may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises and
according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the interest the tax
so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of
application of this limitation.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in Pakistan and paid to a
resident of Switzerland shall be exempt from Pakistan tax if the loan or other indebtedness in
respect of which the interest is paid is an approved loan. The term "approved loan" means any
loan or other indebtedness approved by the competent authority of Pakistan for the purposes of
Clause (72) or Clause (90) of Part I of the Second Schedule to the Income-tax Ordinance 2001 or
for the purposes of any other substantially similar incentive program.
4. The term "interest" as used in this Article means income from debt-claims of every kind,
whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor's
profits, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including
premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures. Penalty charges for late
payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 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 Article 15, as the case may
be, shall apply.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that Contracting
State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority 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.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or
between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-
claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and
the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply
only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain
taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions
of this Convention.
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ARTICLE 12
ROYALTIES AND RELATED SERVICES
1. Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State
may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise and
according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the royalties, the tax
so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of
application of this limitation.
3. The term "royalties" as used in this Article means payments of any kind received as a
consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work
including cinematograph films, or films or tapes used for radio or television, any patent, trade mark,
design or model, plan, secret formula or process, any industrial, commercial or scientific equipment,
or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience, including any service,
assistance or consultancy of an ancillary or subsidiary nature connected therewith.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties,
being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which
the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other
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. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 15, as the case may
be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that Contracting
State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority 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 is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or
between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties, having regard to the use,
right or information for which they are paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed
upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this
Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments
shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the
other provisions of this Convention.
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ARTICLE 13
FEES FOR TECHNICAL SERVICES
1. Fees for technical services, other than services mentioned in paragraph 3 of Article 12,
including consultancy services arising in a Contracting State and derived by a resident of other
Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such fees for technical services may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner
thereof, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the fees.
3. The term "fees for technical services" as used in this Article means any consideration
(including any lump sum consideration) for the provision of rendering of any managerial, technical
or consultancy services (including the provision by the enterprise of the services of technical or
other personnel) but does not include consideration for any construction, assembly or like project
undertaken by the recipient or consideration which would be income falling under Article 15 of the
Convention.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the
payments, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State
in which the payments 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
activity in respect of which the payments are made is effectively connected with such permanent
establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 15, as the case may
be, shall apply.
5. Payments for the furnishing of services shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when
the payer is that Contracting State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that
Contracting State. Where, however, the person paying for the furnishing of services, whether he is a
resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a
fixed base in connection with which the services are rendered, and the payment is borne by such
permanent establishment or fixed base, then such payment shall be deemed to arise in the
Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or
between both of them and some other person, the amount of the payments for furnishing of services,
having regard to the activity for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed
upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this
Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments
shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the
other provisions of this Convention.
ARTICLE 14
CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable
property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that
other State.
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2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a
permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting
State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State
in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services,
including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole
enterprise) or of such fixed based, may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
3. 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 effective management of the enterprise is situated.
4. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3,
and other than shares that form part of at least 20 per cent interest in the capital stock of a company,
shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
ARTICLE 15
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 except in 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; or
(b) If his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding
in the aggregate 183 days in the fiscal year concerned; in that case, only so much of the
income as is derived from his activities performed in that other State may be taxed in that
other State.
2. The term "professional services" includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic,
educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers,
engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
ARTICLE 16
DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICE
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 17, 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 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:
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(a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the
aggregate 183 days in the fiscal year concerned, and
(b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other
State, and
(c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the
employer has in the other State.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration derived in respect of
an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international traffic may be taxed in
the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
ARTICLE 17
DIRECTORS' FEES
Directors' fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his
capacity as a member of the board of directors of a company which is a resident of the other
Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
ARTICLE 18
ARTISTES AND ATHLETES
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 15 and 16, income derived by a resident of a
Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a
musician, or as an athlete, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting
State, may be taxed in that other State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or an athlete in his
capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or athlete himself but to another person, that income
may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 15 and 16, be taxed in the Contracting State in
which the activities of the entertainer or athlete are exercised.
ARTICLE 19
PENSIONS AND ANNUITIES
1. Any pension (other than a pension referred to in Article 20) or annuity derived by a resident
of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.
2. The term "pension" means a periodic payment made in consideration of past employment or
by way of compensation for injuries received in the course of the performance of services.
3. The term "annuity" means a stated sum payable periodically at stated times, during life or
during a specified or ascertainable period of time, under an obligation to make the payments in
return for adequate and full consideration in money or money's worth.
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ARTICLE 20
GOVERNMENT SERVICE
1. (a) Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or
a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or
subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the
services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(i) is a national of that State; or
(ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the
services.
2. (a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or a political
subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to
that State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual
is a resident of, and a national of, that State.
3. The provisions of Articles 16, 17 and 19 shall apply to remuneration and pensions in respect
of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political
subdivision or a local authority thereof.
ARTICLE 21
STUDENTS AND APPRENTICES
1. Payments which a student or business apprentice who is or was immediately before visiting
a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-
mentioned State solely for the purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his
maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State.
2. An individual 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 purpose of
study, research or training or of acquiring technical, professional or business experience, shall be
exempt from tax in that State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate twelve
months on remuneration in respect of an employment in such State provided that such
employment is directly related to his studies, research, training or acquiring of experience and
that the remuneration from the employment does not exceed 18,000 Swiss francs or the
equivalent thereof in Pakistan currency at the official rate of exchange.
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ARTICLE 22
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. In the case of Pakistan, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
Subject to the provisions of the laws of Pakistan regarding the allowance as a credit against
Pakistan tax, the amount of Swiss tax payable, under the laws of Switzerland and in
accordance with the provisions of this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, by a
resident of Pakistan, in respect of income from sources within Switzerland which has been
subjected to a tax both in Pakistan and Switzerland, shall be allowed as a credit against the
Pakistan tax payable in respect of such income but in an amount not exceeding that
proportion of Pakistan tax which such income bears to the entire income chargeable to
Pakistan tax.
2. In the case of Switzerland, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
(a) Where a resident of Switzerland derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of
this Convention, may be taxed in Pakistan, Switzerland shall, subject to the provisions of
sub-paragraphs b) and c) of this paragraph, exempt such income from tax but may, in
calculating tax on the remaining income of that resident, apply the rate of tax which would
have been applicable if the exempted income had not been so exempted; provided, however,
that where profits derived by a resident of Switzerland from sources within Pakistan which
in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 8 are subject to tax in Pakistan, the Swiss tax
charged on those profits shall be reduced by one half.
(b) Where a resident of Switzerland derives dividends, interest, royalties or fees for technical
services which, in accordance with the provisions of Article 10, 11, 12 or 13, may be
taxed in Pakistan, Switzerland shall allow, upon request, a relief to such resident. The
relief may consist of:
(i) a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident of an amount equal to the tax
levied in Pakistan in accordance with the provisions of Articles 10, 11, 12 and 13;
such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the Swiss tax, as computed
before the deduction is given, which is appropriate to the income which may be
taxed in Pakistan; or
(ii) a lump sum reduction of the Swiss tax determined by standardized formulae which
have regard to the general principles of the relief referred to in sub-paragraph (i); or
(iii) a partial exemption of such dividends, interest, royalties or fees for technical
services from Swiss tax, in any case consisting at least of the deduction of the tax
levied in Pakistan from the gross amount of the dividends, interest, royalties or fees
for technical services.
Switzerland shall determine the applicable relief and regulate the procedure in accordance with the
Swiss provisions relating to the carrying out of international conventions of the Swiss Confederation
for the avoidance of double taxation.
(a) Where a resident of Switzerland derives interest dealt with in paragraph 3 of Article 11,
Switzerland shall allow, upon request, a relief to such resident of an amount equal to 10
Page 16
per cent of the gross amount of the interest. The provisions of sub-paragraph b) of this
paragraph shall apply accordingly.
(b) A company which is a resident of Switzerland and which derives dividends from a
company which is a resident of Pakistan shall be entitled, for the purposes of Swiss tax
with respect to such dividends, to the same relief which would be granted to the company
if the company paying the dividends were a resident of Switzerland.
ARTICLE 23
NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to
any taxation or any requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than
the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same
circumstances are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions of
Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. The taxation 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.
3. Except where the provisions of Article 9, paragraph 7 of Article 11, or paragraph 6 of
Articles 12 or 13, apply, interest, royalties, fees for technical services and other disbursements paid
by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the
purpose of determining the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible under the same
conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State.
4. 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. Nothing contained in the preceding paragraphs of this Article shall be construed
(a) as affecting any provisions of the law of Pakistan regarding the imposition of tax on a non-
resident person of either nationality;
(b) as obliging either of the Contracting States to grant to persons not resident in its territory
those personal allowances and reliefs for tax purposes which are by law available only to
persons who are so resident; or
(c) as affecting any provisions of the law of Pakistan regarding the grant of rebate of tax to
companies fulfilling specific requirements regarding the declaration and payment of
dividends.
6. In this Article the term "taxation" means taxes which are the subject of this Convention.
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ARTICLE 24
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or
will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, he may,
irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those States, present his case to the
competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under
paragraph 1 of Article 23, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national. The case must
be presented within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in
accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it
is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the
competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is
not in accordance with the Convention.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual
agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention.
They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in
the Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other
directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs.
ARTICLE 25
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information
(being information which is at their disposal under their respective taxation laws in the normal
course of administration) as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention in
relation to the taxes which are the subject of this Convention. Any information so exchanged
shall be treated as secret and shall not be disclosed to any persons other than those concerned
with the assessment and collection of the taxes which are the subject of this Convention. No
information as aforesaid shall be exchanged which would disclose any trade, business, industrial
or professional secret or trade process.
2. In no case shall the provisions of this Article be construed as imposing upon either of the
Contracting States the obligation to carry out administrative measures at variance with the
regulations and practice of either Contracting State or which would be contrary to its
sovereignty, security or public policy or to supply particulars which are not procurable under its
own legislation or that of the State making application.
ARTICLE 26
DIPLOMATIC AGENTS AND CONSULAR OFFICERS
1. Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular
officers under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Page 18
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 4, an individual who is a member of a diplomatic
mission, consular post or permanent mission of a Contracting State which is situated in the other
Contracting State or in a third State shall be deemed, for the purposes of this Convention, to be a
resident of the sending State if:
(a) in accordance with international law he is not liable to tax in the receiving Contracting State
in respect of income from sources outside that State and
(b) he is liable in the sending State to the same obligations in relation to tax on his total income
as are residents of that State.
3. The Convention shall not apply to international organizations, to organs or officials thereof
and to persons who are members of a diplomatic mission, consular post or permanent mission of a
third State, being present in a Contracting State and not treated in either Contracting State as
residents in respect of taxes on income.
ARTICLE 27
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. This Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be exchanged at
Islamabad as soon as possible.
2. The Convention shall enter into force upon the exchange of instruments of ratification and
its provisions shall have effect:
(a) in Pakistan for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of July of the calendar year
next following that of the entry into force of the Convention;
(b) in Switzerland for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January of the
calendar year next following that of the entry into force of the Convention.
3. The Convention between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Swiss Confederation for
the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income of December 30, 1959 / June 15,
1962 shall terminate upon the entry into force of this Convention and shall cease to have effect for
the fiscal year next following that of the entry into force of this Convention.
ARTICLE 28
TERMINATION
This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either
Contracting State may terminate the Convention, through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of
termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year. In such event, the Convention
shall cease to have effect:
(a) in Pakistan for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of July of the calendar year
next following that in which such notice has been given;
(b) in Switzerland for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January in the
calendar year next following that in which such notice has been given;
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized thereto, have signed this Convention.
Done in duplicate at Islamabad this19th July, 2005 in the English and German languages, both texts
being equally authentic.
Sd/ Sd/
For the Government of the For the Swiss Federal Council:
Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
PROTOCOL
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
and
The Swiss Federal Council
have agreed at the signing of the Convention between the two States for the avoidance of double
taxation with respect to taxes on income upon the following provisions which shall form an integral
part of the said Convention:
1. With reference to Article 5.
With respect to sub-paragraphs a) and b) of paragraph 4, it is understood that the maintenance of a
stock of goods or merchandise for the purpose of delivery or facilities used for delivery of goods
and merchandise do not constitute a permanent establishment as long as the conditions of sub-
paragraph b) of paragraph 5 are not fulfilled.
2. With reference to Article 7.
(a) It is understood that the words "directly or indirectly" as used in paragraph 1 of Article 7 mean,
that where a permanent establishment takes an active part in negotiating, concluding or fulfilling
contracts entered into by the enterprise, then, notwithstanding that other parts of the enterprise
have also participated in those transactions, there shall be attributed to the permanent
establishment that proportion of profits of the enterprise arising out of those contracts as the
contribution of the permanent establishment to those transactions bears to that of the enterprise as
a whole. It is also understood that profits shall be regarded as attributable to the permanent
establishment to the above-mentioned extent, even when the contracts in question are made
directly with the head office of the enterprise rather than with the permanent establishment.
(b) In the case of contracts for the survey, supply, installation or construction of industrial,
commercial or scientific equipment or premises, or of public works, when the enterprise has
a permanent establishment, as defined in paragraph 3 of Article 5, the profits of such
permanent establishment shall not be determined on the basis of the total amount of the
contract, but shall be determined only on the basis of that part of the contract which is
Page 20
effectively carried out by the permanent establishment in the State where the permanent
establishment is situated. The profits related to that part of the contract which is carried out
by the head-office of the enterprise shall be taxable only in the State in which the enterprise
is a resident.
(c) With respect to paragraph 3 of Article 7, it is understood that the Contracting States will
apply the principles referred to in paragraphs 17 and 18 of the Commentaries on Article 7 of
the OECD Model Convention 1977 and reproduced in the UN Model Convention 1980.
3. With reference to Article 9.
With reference to Article 9 it is understood that where profits on which an enterprise of a
Contracting State has been charged to tax in that State are also included in the profits of an
enterprise of the other Contracting State and taxed accordingly, and the profits so included are
profits which would have accrued to that enterprise of the other State, if the conditions made
between the enterprises have been those which would have been between independent enterprises,
then the competent authorities of the Contracting States may consult together with a view to reach
an agreement (on the adjustments of profits) in both Contracting States.
4. With reference to Article 13.
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, as long as Switzerland does not according to its
inland law, levy a tax at source on payments for services paid to non-residents, the rate of tax levied
on such payments shall not exceed 7.5% and with reference to paragraph 2 it is further understood
that expenses related to the furnishing of services shall be deductible. However, such reduction shall
not exceed 20% of the gross amount of the payments.
Done in duplicate at Islamabad this19th July, 2005 in the English and German languages, both texts
being equally authentic.
Sd/ Sd/
For the Government of the For the Swiss Federal Council:”
Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
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[C.No.2(67)Int.Taxes/68 (Swiss-DTA)]
(Irfan Nadeem)
Additional Secretary/Member (Direct Taxes)
Related Income Tax SROs on tax treaties
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