Australian Tax Treaties
United States Convention
CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
ARTICLE 11
Interest
(1)
Interest arising in one of the Contracting States, being interest to which a resident of the other Contracting State is beneficially entitled, may be taxed in that other State.
(2)
However, that interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the law of that State, but the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 percent of the gross amount of the interest.
(3)
Notwithstanding paragraph (2), interest arising in one of the Contracting States to which a resident of the other Contracting State is beneficially entitled may not be taxed in the first-mentioned State if:
(a) the interest is derived by one of the Contracting States or by a political or administrative sub-division or a local authority thereof, or by any other body exercising governmental functions in a Contracting State, or by a bank performing central banking functions in a Contracting State;
(b) the interest is derived by a financial institution which is unrelated to and dealing wholly independently with the payer. For the purposes of this Article, the term " financial institution " means a bank or other enterprise substantially deriving its profits by raising debt finance in the financial markets or by taking deposits at interest and using those funds in carrying on a business of providing finance.
(4)
(a) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), interest referred to in sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph may be taxed in the State in which it arises at a rate not exceeding 10 percent of the gross amount of the interest if the interest is paid as part of an arrangement involving back-to-back loans or other arrangement that is economically equivalent and intended to have a similar effect to back-to-back loans.
(b) Nothing in this Article shall be construed as restricting, in any manner, the right of a Contracting State to apply any anti-avoidance provisions of its taxation law.
(5)
The term " interest " in this Article means interest from government securities or from bonds or debentures (including premiums attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures), whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in profits, interest from any other form of indebtedness, as well as income which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from money lent by the law of the Contracting State in which the income arises. Income dealt with in Article 10 (Dividends) and penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purposes of this Article.
(6)
The provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) shall not apply if the person beneficially entitled to the interest, being a resident of one of the Contracting States, carries on business in the other Contracting State, in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment situated in that other State, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated in that other State, and the indebtedness in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with that permanent establishment or fixed base. In that case the provisions of Article 7 (Business Profits) or Article 14 (Independent Personal Services), as the case may be, shall apply.
(7)
Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State for the purposes of its tax. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether the person is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and that interest is borne by that permanent establishment or fixed base, then the 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 person beneficially entitled to the interest, or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest paid, having regard to the indebtedness for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which might reasonably have been expected to have been agreed upon by the payer and the person so entitled in the absence of that relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In that case the excess part of the amount of the interest paid shall remain taxable according to the law of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
(9)
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4):
(a) interest that is paid by a resident of one of the Contracting States and that is determined with reference to the profits of the issuer or of one of its associated enterprises, as defined in sub-paragraph (a) or (b) of paragraph (1) of Article 9 (Associated Enterprises), being interest to which a resident of the other State is beneficially entitled, also may be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the laws of that State, at a rate not exceeding 15 percent of the gross amount of the interest; and
(b) interest that is paid with respect to the ownership interests in a person used for the securitisation of real estate mortgages or other assets, to the extent that the amount of interest paid exceeds the normal rate of return on publicly-traded debt instruments with a similar risk profile, may be taxed by each State in accordance with its domestic law.
(10)
Where interest expense is deductible in determining the profits, income or gains of a company resident in one of the Contracting States, being profits, income or gains which:
(a) are attributable to a permanent establishment of that company in the other Contracting State; or
(b) may be taxed in the other Contracting State under Article 6 (Income from Real Property) or paragraph (1) or (3) of Article 13 (Alienation of Property),
As amended by the United States Protocol (No 1)
Interest arising in one of the Contracting States, being interest to which a resident of the other Contracting State is beneficially entitled, may be taxed in that other State.
(2)
However, that interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the law of that State, but the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 percent of the gross amount of the interest.
(3)
Notwithstanding paragraph (2), interest arising in one of the Contracting States to which a resident of the other Contracting State is beneficially entitled may not be taxed in the first-mentioned State if:
(a) the interest is derived by one of the Contracting States or by a political or administrative sub-division or a local authority thereof, or by any other body exercising governmental functions in a Contracting State, or by a bank performing central banking functions in a Contracting State;
(b) the interest is derived by a financial institution which is unrelated to and dealing wholly independently with the payer. For the purposes of this Article, the term " financial institution " means a bank or other enterprise substantially deriving its profits by raising debt finance in the financial markets or by taking deposits at interest and using those funds in carrying on a business of providing finance.
(4)
(a) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), interest referred to in sub-paragraph (b) of that paragraph may be taxed in the State in which it arises at a rate not exceeding 10 percent of the gross amount of the interest if the interest is paid as part of an arrangement involving back-to-back loans or other arrangement that is economically equivalent and intended to have a similar effect to back-to-back loans.
(b) Nothing in this Article shall be construed as restricting, in any manner, the right of a Contracting State to apply any anti-avoidance provisions of its taxation law.
(5)
The term " interest " in this Article means interest from government securities or from bonds or debentures (including premiums attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures), whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or not carrying a right to participate in profits, interest from any other form of indebtedness, as well as income which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from money lent by the law of the Contracting State in which the income arises. Income dealt with in Article 10 (Dividends) and penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purposes of this Article.
(6)
The provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) shall not apply if the person beneficially entitled to the interest, being a resident of one of the Contracting States, carries on business in the other Contracting State, in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment situated in that other State, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated in that other State, and the indebtedness in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with that permanent establishment or fixed base. In that case the provisions of Article 7 (Business Profits) or Article 14 (Independent Personal Services), as the case may be, shall apply.
(7)
Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State for the purposes of its tax. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether the person is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and that interest is borne by that permanent establishment or fixed base, then the 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 person beneficially entitled to the interest, or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest paid, having regard to the indebtedness for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which might reasonably have been expected to have been agreed upon by the payer and the person so entitled in the absence of that relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In that case the excess part of the amount of the interest paid shall remain taxable according to the law of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
(9)
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4):
(a) interest that is paid by a resident of one of the Contracting States and that is determined with reference to the profits of the issuer or of one of its associated enterprises, as defined in sub-paragraph (a) or (b) of paragraph (1) of Article 9 (Associated Enterprises), being interest to which a resident of the other State is beneficially entitled, also may be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the laws of that State, at a rate not exceeding 15 percent of the gross amount of the interest; and
(b) interest that is paid with respect to the ownership interests in a person used for the securitisation of real estate mortgages or other assets, to the extent that the amount of interest paid exceeds the normal rate of return on publicly-traded debt instruments with a similar risk profile, may be taxed by each State in accordance with its domestic law.
(10)
Where interest expense is deductible in determining the profits, income or gains of a company resident in one of the Contracting States, being profits, income or gains which:
(a) are attributable to a permanent establishment of that company in the other Contracting State; or
(b) may be taxed in the other Contracting State under Article 6 (Income from Real Property) or paragraph (1) or (3) of Article 13 (Alienation of Property),
and that interest expense exceeds the interest paid by that permanent establishment or paid with respect to the debt secured by real property located in the other Contracting State, the amount of that excess shall be deemed to be interest arising in that other Contracting State to which a resident of the first-mentioned Contracting State is beneficially entitled.
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