Bilateral Double Tax Agreements

Certificate of tax residency

Multilateral Agreements

​International Tax Bodies

 


 

 

Double Tax Agreement - China

 

At the end of 2015, China has signed over 100 Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTA), 10 tax information exchange agreements (TIEA), and 1 multilateral convention of mutual administrative assistance in tax matters. The DTA's of China basically followed the Model Treaty Convention of the OECD.

Details of the DTA are available at the website of the State Administration of Taxation. [Read-bilingual] | [English]

 

PRC treaty countries classified by geographic area

 

Asia

Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam;

Middle East Asia

Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Katar, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Tunis, and United Arab Enirates;

Europe

Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom (the U.K.), Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Yugosslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina);

Africa

Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe;

America

Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela, and the US.

 

Tax Information Exchange Agreement

 

In the recent years, China has concluded TIEA with some jurisdictions that impose no tax on income, which includes the following:

Argentina, the British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liechtenstein, and San Marino.

 

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Tax Treaty Credit For Foreign Investors 

Indirect tax credit

Most of the PRC tax treaties provide that the corporate level income taxes paid by the foreign investment enterprise are eligible for an indirect tax credit for foreign investors in their home jurisdictions.

Tax sparing credit

An investor, who is a resident of a PRC treaty country and owns the foreign investment enterprise, is deemed to have paid the income tax under the indirect tax sparing credit provision in respect of the tax concession being granted for income earned within China at both the Company and shareholder (investor) levels.

However, there is no tax sparing credit provision in the treaty concluded between the PRC and the USA.

 

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Double Tax Agreement - Hong Kong, China

 

Hong Kong residents are entitled to benefits of avoiding double income tax under the Arrangements concluded between the PRC Central People's Government and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

 

Double Taxation Agreements

The information of HK's Comprehensive Double Tax Agreement (CDTA) - {Read}

The information of HK's DTA on Air Service Income - {Read}

The information of HK's DTA on Shipping Service Income - {Read}

 

Tax Rates on Dividends, Interest, Royalties and Technical Services

The withholding income tax rates for the above - {Read}

 

Double Tax Agreement - Macau, China

 

Double Taxation Agreement

Macau has entered into CDTA with Portugal, Mozambique, Republic of Cape Verde and Belgium.

 

Double Tax Agreement on Air Service Income

Macau signed a Double Taxation Agreement on Air service income with Taiwan on Dec 2015; {Read}

 

Tax Information Exchange Agreement

Macau has signed TIEA with 15 countries. See texts in Chinese: {Read}

 

Double Tax Agreement - Taiwan

 

As at 30th June 2016, Taiwan has concluded comprehensive double tax agreements with 25 countries. In addition, Taiwan signed up 13 double tax agreements on air service income and shipping services income. 

 

Double Tax Agreement

See details of the CDTA and DTA on air and shipping services income: {Read}.

 

Tax Rates on Dividends, Interest, and Royalties

See the relevant tax rates at {withholding_tax}.

 


 

Certificate of tax residency

 

China [Read]

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China [Read]

 

 

 


 

Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters

 

The Chinese Government signed the Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (Multilateral Convention) in August 2013. The national people's congress ratified the Multinational Convention in July 2015.

Details of the ratification are available at the link [Read]. 

 

Updates on the above Multilateral Convention

 

  1. Date of coming into force : 1st Feb 2016
  2. Date of Implementation : 1st Jan 2017 
  3. Excluded territories : the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau
  4. Scope of applications: (i) exchange of information; (ii) tax collections; and (iii) service of legal notice.

The legal texts of the Multilateral Convention is available at [Read].

 

Global Forum

 

The Global Forum is short for "the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes".

China, Hong Kong, and Macau are members of the Global Forum.

See link to : {Global Forum}