Australian Tax Treaties

German Agreement  

AGREEMENT BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME AND ON CAPITAL AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION AND AVOIDANCE  

ARTICLE 3   General Definitions  

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

(a) the term " Australia " , when used in a geographical sense, means the territory of the Commonwealth of Australia, including the following external territories:

(i) the Territory of Norfolk Island;

(ii) the Territory of Christmas Island;

(iii) the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands;

(iv) the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands;

(v) the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands; and

(vi) the Coral Sea Islands Territory,

and includes any area adjacent to the territorial limits of Australia (including the Territories specified in this subparagraph) in respect of which there is for the time being in force, consistently with international law, a law of Australia dealing with the exploration for or exploitation of any of the natural resources of the exclusive economic zone or the seabed and subsoil of the continental shelf;

(b) the term " Federal Republic of Germany " , when used in a geographical sense, includes the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the area of the seabed, its subsoil and the superjacent water column adjacent to the territorial sea, wherein the Federal Republic of Germany exercises sovereign rights or jurisdiction in conformity with international law and its national legislation for the purposes of exploring, exploiting, conserving and managing the living and non-living natural resources or for the production of energy from renewable sources;

(c) the term " tax " means Australian tax or German tax as the context requires, but does not include any penalty imposed under the law of either Contracting State relating to its tax;

(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 company or body corporate for tax purposes;

(f) the term " enterprise " applies to the carrying on of any business;

(g) the term " business " includes the performance of professional services and of other activities of an independent character;

(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:

(i) in the case of Australia, the Commissioner of Taxation or an authorised representative of the Commissioner;

(ii) in the case of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal Ministry of Finance or the agency to which it has delegated its powers;

(k) the term " national " means:

(i) in relation to Australia, any individual who is a citizen of Australia and any legal person, company, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in Australia;

(ii) in relation to the Federal Republic of Germany, any German within the meaning of the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany and any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in the Federal Republic of Germany;

(l) the term " collective investment vehicle " means a vehicle that is widely-held, holds a diversified portfolio of securities or invests directly or indirectly in immovable property for the main purpose of deriving rent, and is subject to investor-protection regulation in the State in which it is established and is:

(i) in the case of Australia, a trust that is a managed investment trust for the purposes of Australian tax;

(ii) in the case of the Federal Republic of Germany, an investment vehicle within the meaning of the Investment Act (Kapitalanlagegesetzbuch), other than a vehicle that has been established as a partnership; and

(iii) any other investment fund or vehicle established in either Contracting State which the Government of Australia and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany agree, in an Exchange of Notes, to regard as a collective investment vehicle;

(m) the term " recognised stock exchange " means:

(i) the Australian Securities Exchange and any other Australian stock exchange recognised as such under Australian law;

(ii) any German stock exchange on which registered dealings in shares take place; and

(iii) any other stock exchange agreed upon by the competent authorities.

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 concerning the taxes to which the Agreement applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that State.