India-Macedonia Tax Agreement Notification

MINISTRY OFFERENCE (Department of Revenue) NOTIFICATION New Delhi, the 21st December, 2015

S.O. 3499(E).—Whereas, an Agreement was entered into between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income that was signed at Delhi on the 17th December, 2013 as set out in the Annexure to this notification (hereinafter referred to as the said Agreement);

And whereas, the date of entry into force of the said Agreement is the 12th September, 2014, being the date of the later of the notifications of completion of the procedures as required by the respective laws for entry into force of the said Agreement, in accordance with paragraph 1 of Article 30 of the said Agreement;

And whereas, clause (a) of paragraph 3 of Article 30 of the said Agreement provides that the provisions of the said Agreement shall have effect in India in respect of taxes withheld at source, to income paid or credited on or after the first day of April of the calendar year next following the year in which the said Agreement enters into force, and in respect of other taxes on income chargeable for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of April of the calendar year next following the year in which the said Agreement enters into force.

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 90 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Government hereby directs that all the provisions of the said Agreement between the Government of the

22 THE GAZETTE OF INDIA : EXTRAORDINARY [PART II—SEC. 3(ii)] Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, as set out in the Annexure hereto, shall be given effect to in the Union of India from the first day of April, 2015, being the first day of the fiscal year next following the year in which the said Agreement entered into force.

[Notification No. 94/2015/ F. No. 503/08/2004-FTD-I] AKHILESH RANJAN, Jt. Secy.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME

The Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, desiring to conclude an Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and with a view to promoting economic cooperation between the two countries, have agreed as follows:

Article 1 PERSONS COVERED

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 a 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 and taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises.

3. The existing taxes to which the Agreement shall apply are in particular:

• (b) In India: the income tax (including any surcharge thereon) (hereinafter referred to as "Indian tax");

• (b) in Macedonia:

• (i) the profit tax;

• (ii) the personal income tax;

(hereinafter referred to as “Macedonian tax”).

4. The Agreement shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes that 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 any significant changes that have been made in their respective taxation laws.

Article 3 GENERAL DEFINITIONS

1. For the purposes of this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:

• (b) the term “India” means the territory of India and includes the territorial sea and airspace above it, as well as any other maritime zone in which India has sovereign rights, other rights and jurisdiction, according to the Indian law and in accordance with international law, including the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea;

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• (c) the term “Macedonia” means the territory of the Republic of Macedonia, over which it has jurisdiction or sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing natural resources, pursuant to internal jurisdiction and international law;

• (d) the terms "Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean the Republic of India or the Republic of Macedonia as the context requires;

• (e) the term "person" includes an individual, a company, a body of persons and any other entity which is treated as a taxable unit under the taxation laws in force in the respective Contracting States;

• (f) the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity that is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;

• (g) the term “ enterprise” applies to the carrying on of any business;

• (h) 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;

• (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;

• (j) the term "competent authority" means:

• (iii) in the case of India: the Finance Minister, Government of India, or his authorized representative;

• (iv) in the case of Macedonia: the Ministry of Finance or its authorized representative;

• (k) the term "national" means:

• (i) any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;

• (ii) any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;

• (l) the term “tax” means Indian or Macedonian tax, as the context requires, but shall not include any amount which is payable in respect of any default or omission in relation to the taxes to which this Agreement applies or which represents a penalty or fine imposed relating to those taxes;

• (m) The term “fiscal year” means:

• (i) in the case of India: the financial year beginning on the 1st day of April.

• (ii) in the case of Macedonia: the calendar year beginning on the 1st day of January; .

2. As regards the application of the Agreement at any time by a Contracting State any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of that State for the purposes of the taxes to which the Agreement applies and any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that State.