CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE T…
The Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
Desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital gains;
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
Personal Scope
1. This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
2. However, nothing in this Convention shall prevent the Philippines from taxing its own citizens, who are not residents of the Philippines, in accordance with Philippine laws but the United Kingdom shall not be bound to give credit for such tax.
Article 2
Taxes Covered
1. The taxes which are the subject of this Convention are:
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in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:
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| (i) |
the income tax;
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| (ii) |
the corporation tax; and
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| (iii) |
the capital gains;
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| (b) |
in the Philippines:
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the income tax imposed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines except the tax on gross billings in respect of international carriers (Section 24, Paragraph (b), sub-paragraph (2), Internal Revenue Code).
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2. This Convention shall also apply to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed by either Contracting State after the date of signatures of this Convention in addition to or in place of, the existing taxes. The Contracting States shall notify each other of the changes which have been made to their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
General Definitions
1. In this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
| (a) |
the term “United Kingdom” means Great Britain and Northern Ireland, including any area outside the territorial sea of the United Kingdom which in accordance with international law has been or may hereafter be designated, under the laws of the United Kingdom concerning the Continental Shelf, as an area within which rights of the United Kingdom with respect to the sea bed and sub-soil and their natural resources may be exercised;
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| (b) |
the term “Philippines” means the national territory comprising the Republic of the Philippines;
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| (c) |
the term “national” means:
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| (i) |
in relation to the United Kingdom, any citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies who derives his status as such from his connection with the United Kingdom and any legal person, association or other entity deriving its status as such from the law in force in the United Kingdom;
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(ii)
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in relation to the Philippines, any citizen of the Philippines who derives his status as such and any legal person, association or other entity deriving its status as such from the law in force in the Philippines;
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| (d) |
the term “Philippine tax” means tax imposed by the Philippines being tax to which this Convention applies by virtue of the provisions of Article 2; the term “United Kingdom tax” means tax imposed by the United Kingdom being tax to which Convention applies by virtue of the provisions of Article 2;
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| (e) |
the term “tax” means Philippine tax or United Kingdom tax, as the context requires;
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| (f) |
the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean the Philippines or the United Kingdom, as the context requires;
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| (g) |
the term “person” compromises an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
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| (h) |
the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
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| (i) |
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 Contracting State;
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| (j) |
the term “competent authority” means, in the case of Philippines the Secretary of Finance or his duly authorized representative, and in the case of the United Kingdom the Commissioners of Inland Revenue or their authorized representative.
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2. As regards the application of this Convention by a Contracting State any term not otherwise defined shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of that Contracting State relating to the taxes which are the subject of this Convention.
Article 4
Fiscal Domicile
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “resident of a Contracting State” means, subject to the provisions of paragraphs (2) and (3) of this Article, any person who, under the law of that State, is liable to taxation therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature; an individual who is a member of the diplomatic, consular or permanent mission of a Contracting State which is situated in the other Contracting State and who is subject to tax in that other State only if to be a resident of that other State. The terms “resident of the Philippines” and “resident of the United Kingdom” shall be construed accordingly.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph (1) of this Article an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined in accordance with the following rules:
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he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he has a permanent home available to him. If he has a permanent home available to him in both Contracting States, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);
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if the Contracting 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 Contracting State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which he has an habitual abode;
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| (c) |
if he has an habitual abode in both Contracting State or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State of which he is a national;
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| (d) |
if he is a national of both Contracting States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
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3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph (1) of this Article a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a effective management is situated.
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a place of management;
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a branch;
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an office;
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a factory;
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a workshop;
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| (f) |
a mine, oil well, quarry or other place of extraction of natural resources;
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an installation or structure used for the exploration of natural resources;
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a building site or construction or assembly project which exists for more than 183 days.
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3. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall likewise be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if:
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it carries on supervisory activities within that other Contracting State for more than 183 days in connection with a building sire, or a construction or assembly project which is being undertaken, in that other Contracting State; or
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| (b) |
in furnishes services, including consultancy services, in that other Contracting State through its employees or other personnel (other than agents of an independent status within the meaning of paragraph (7) of this Article) for a period exceeding in the aggregate 183 days within any twelve-month period.
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the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
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the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;
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the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
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the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise, or for collecting information, for the enterprise;
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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.
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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 whom the provisions of paragraph (7) of this Article apply – shall be deemed to be a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned State if:
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he has, and habitually exercises in that first-mentioned 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
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he has no such authority but habitually maintains in that first-mentioned State a stock of goods and merchandise belonging to the enterprise from which he regularly delivers goods or merchandise on behalf of that enterprise.
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| 2. | (a) |
The term “immovable property” shall, subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph (b) below, be defined in accordance with the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated.
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the term “immovable property” 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 resources; ships, boats and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
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there shall be allowed as deductions expenses of the enterprise which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses insofar as they are reasonably connected to the permanent establishment, whether incurred in the State in which permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere;
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there shall not be allowed any deduction for payments by that permanent establishment to the head office or any other part of the enterprise, by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments for the use of patents or other rights or by way of commission for specific services or for management or (except in the case of a banking enterprise) by way of interest on moneys lent to the permanent establishment, unless such payments reimburse expenses actually incurred by the enterprise.
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| Where | |||
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an enterprise of a Contacting State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, or
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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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15% of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company which controls directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the voting power in the company paying the dividends;
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in all other cases 25% of the gross amount of the dividends.
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15% of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company which controls directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the voting power in the company paying the dividends;
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(b) in all other cases 25% of the gross amount of the dividends.
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(i)
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Dividends derived from a company which is a resident of the United Kingdom by a resident of the Philippines may be taxed in the Philippines.
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Where a resident of the Philippines is entitled to a tax credit in respect of such a dividend under sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph tax may also be charged in the United Kingdom and according to the laws of the United Kingdom, on the aggregate of the amount or value of that dividend and the amount of that tax credit at a rate not exceeding 25 per cent.
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(iii)
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Except as provided in sub-paragraph (a) (ii) of this paragraph, dividends derived from a company which is a resident of the United Kingdom and which are beneficially owned by a resident of the Philippines shall be exempt from any tax in the United Kingdom which is Chargeable on dividends.
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A resident of the Philippines who receives dividends from a company which is a resident of the United Kingdom shall, subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph (c) of this paragraph and provided he is the beneficial owner of the dividends, be entitled to the tax credit in respect thereof to which an individual resident in the United Kingdom would have been entitled had he received those dividends and to the payment of any excess of such credit over his liability to United Kingdom tax.
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The provisions of sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph shall not apply where the beneficial owner of the dividends is a company which is either alone or together with one or more associated companies controls directly or indirectly at least 1- per cent of the voting power in the company paying the dividends. For the purpose of this paragraph two companies shall be deemed to be associated if one controls directly or indirectly mote than 50 per cent of the voting power in the other company, or a third company controls more than 50 per cent of voting power in both of them.
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the Government of the other Contracting State, a political subdivision or local authority thereof or an instrumentality of that other State; or
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a resident of the other Contracting State in respect of a loan made, guaranteed or insured by such instrumentality of that other State as is specified and agreed in letters exchanged between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
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15 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties, where the royalties are paid:
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by an enterprise registered with the Philippine Board of Investments and engaged in preferred areas of activity
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| or | |||
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(ii)
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in respect of cinematograph films or tapes for television or radio broadcasting
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in all other cases, 25 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.
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he has 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 taxes in that other Contracting State; or
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his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 120 days in the calendar days.
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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
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the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State; and
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the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
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all remittances from abroad for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training; and
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any income derived from the other Contracting State in respect of services rendered in that other State (other than any rendered by a business apprentice to the person or partnership to whom he is apprenticed), with a view to supplementing the resources available to him for such purposes, not exceeding the sum of 500 pounds sterling in the case of the United Kingdom, or the equivalent in Philippine currency in the case of the Philippines, during any year of assessment.
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the amount of such grant, allowance or award; or
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all remittances from abroad for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training.
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3. The exemptions from tax provided under paragraphs (1) and (2) of this Article shall apply only for such period of time as may reasonably or customarily be required for the purpose of the individual’s visit but no individual shall be entitled to such exemptions from more than five years from the date of his first arrival in the other Contracting State.
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Philippine tax payable under the law of the Philippines and in accordance with this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, on profits, income or chargeable gains from sources within the Philippines (excluding in the case of a dividend, tax payable in respect of the profits out of which the dividend is paid) shall be allowed as a credit against any United Kingdom tax computed by reference to the same profits, income or chargeable gains by reference to which the Philippines tax is computed.
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In the case of a dividend paid by a company which is a resident of the Philippines to a company which is a resident of the United Kingdom and which controls directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the voting power in the company paying the dividend, the credit shall take into account (in addition to any Philippine tax creditable under the provisions of sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph) the Philippine tax payable by the company in respect of the profits out of which such dividend is paid. |
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2. Subject to the provisions of the laws of the Philippines relating to the allowance as a credit against Philippine tax of tax paid in a territory outside the Philippines, United kingdom tax payable under the laws of the United Kingdom and in accordance with this Convention, whether directly or by deduction, in respect of income from sources within the United Kingdom shall be allowed, where similar tax is imposed in the Philippines, as a credit against Philippine tax payable in respect of that income. The deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the Philippine income tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is appropriate to the income which may be taxed in the United Kingdom.
1.Where a resident of a Contracting State considers that the actions of one or both of the Contacting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with this Convention, he may, notwithstanding the remedies provided by the national laws of those States, present his case in writing to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 of Article 22, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national. This case must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action giving rise to taxation not in accordance with 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 an appropriate solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting States, with a view to the avoidance of taxation not in accordance with the Convention.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting State shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting State may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs.
Article 24
Exchange of Information
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for the carrying out of the provisions of this Convention and of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by this Convention, in particular, for the prevention of fraud or evasion of such taxes. Any information so exchanged shall be treated as secret, but may be disclosed to persons (including a court or administrative body) concerned with the assessment, collection, enforcement or prosecution in respect of the taxes which are the subject of the Convention.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed, so as to impose on one of the Contracting States the obligations:
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to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws or the administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
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to supply particulars which are not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
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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 safety. |
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Diplomatic and Consular Officials
1. Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic or consular missions under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
2. This Convention shall not apply to International Organisations, to organs or officials thereof and to persons who are members of a diplomatic, consular or permanent mission of a third State, being present in a Contracting State and who are not liable in either Contracting State to the same obligations in relation to tax on their total world income as are residents thereof.
Article 26
Territorial Extensions
1. This Convention may be extended, either in its entirety or with modifications, to any territory for whose international relations either Contracting State is responsible and which impose taxes substantially similar in character to those to which this Convention applies. Any such extension shall take effect from such date and subject to such modifications and conditions, including conditions as to termination, as may be specified and agreed between the Contracting States in notes to be exchanged through diplomatic channels.
2. Unless otherwise agreed by both Contracting States, the termination of this Convention shall terminate the application of this Convention to any territory to which it has been extended under the provisions of this Article.
Article 27
Entry into Force
1. This Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be exchanged at Manila as soon as possible.
2. This Convention shall enter into force immediately after the expiration of thirty days following the date on which the instruments of ratification are exchanged and shall thereupon have effect:
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in the United Kingdom:
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in respect of income tax and capital gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after 6 April 1977; and
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(ii)
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in respect of corporation tax, for any financial year beginning on or after 1 April 1977;
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| (b) | in the Philippines: | ||
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in respect of tax withheld at the source on amounts paid on or after 1 January immediately following the calendar year in which the exchange of instruments of ratification takes place; and
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in respect of other taxes for taxation years or periods beginning on or after the first day of January immediately following the calendar year in which the exchange of instruments of ratification takes place.
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This Convention shall remain in force until denounced by one of the Contracting States Either Contracting State may denounce the Convention, through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year after the year 1982. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:
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in the United Kingdom:
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| (i) |
in respect of income tax and capital gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after 6 April in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given;
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(ii)
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in respect of corporation tax, for any financial year beginning on or after 1 April in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given;
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| (b) | in the Philippines: | ||
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in respect of tax withheld at the source on amounts paid on or after 1 January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given; and
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in respect of other taxes for taxation years or periods beginning on or after 1 January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given.
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For the Government of the
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For the Government of the
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Republic of the Philippines
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United Kingdom of Great
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Ireland
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(SGD.) CESAR VIRATA |
(SGD.)
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Entry into Force: January 23, 1978