Canada and the Republic of Colombia,

Desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital,

Have agreed as follows:

I. SCOPE OF THE CONVENTION

Article 1
Persons Covered

This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.

Article 2
Taxes Covered

• 1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income, and on capital imposed on behalf of a Contracting State, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.

• 2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income and on capital all taxes imposed on total income, on total capital, or on elements of income or of capital, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.

• 3. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are, in particular,

  • (a) in the case of Canada, the taxes imposed by the Government of Canada under the Income Tax Act (hereinafter referred to as “Canadian tax”); and

  • (b) in the case of Colombia,

    • (i) Tax on Income, and Complementary Taxes (Impuesto sobre la Renta y Complementarios); and

    • (ii) the National Tax on Capital;

    (hereinafter referred to as “Colombian Tax”).

• 4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes that are imposed after the date of signature of the Convention 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 which have been made in their respective taxation laws.

II. DEFINITIONS

Article 3
General Definitions

• 1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires,

  • (a) the term “Canada” means the territory of Canada, including its land territory, internal waters and territorial sea, and includes the air space above these areas, as well as the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, as determined by its domestic law, consistent with international law;

  • (b) the term “Colombia” means the Republic of Colombia;

  • (c) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean, as the context requires, Canada or Colombia;

  • (d) the term “person” includes an individual, a trust, a company, a partnership and any other body of persons;

  • (e) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;

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

  • (g) 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;

  • (h) the term “international traffic” means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when such transport is principally between places in the other Contracting State;

  • (i) the term “competent authority” means

    • (i) in the case of Canada, the Minister of National Revenue or the Minister’s authorized representative, and

    • (ii) in the case of Colombia, the Minister of Finance and Public Credit or the Minister’s authorized representative;

  • (j) the term “national”, in relation to a Contracting State, means

    • (i)  any individual possessing the nationality of that Contracting State, and

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

  • (k) the term “business” includes the performance of professional services and of other activities of an independent character.

• 2. As regards the application of the Convention 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 Convention applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under the other laws of that State.

Article 4
Resident

• 1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “resident of a Contracting State” means

  • (a) any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of the person’s domicile, residence, place of management, place of incorporation or any other criterion of a similar nature, but does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State or capital situated therein, and

  • (b) that State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof or any agency or instrumentality of any such government, subdivision or authority.

• 2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then the individual’s status shall be determined as follows:

  • (a) the individual shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which the individual has a permanent home available and if the individual has a permanent home available in both States, the individual shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State with which the individual’s personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);

  • (b) if the State in which the individual’s centre of vital interests is situated cannot be determined, or if there is not a permanent home available to the individual in either State, the individual shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which the individual has an habitual abode;

  • (c) if the individual has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of them, the individual shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State of which the individual is a national; and

  • (d) if the individual is a national of both States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.

• 3. Where a company is a national of a Contracting State and by reason of paragraph 1 is a resident of both Contracting States then it shall be deemed to be a resident only of the first-mentioned State.

• 4. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than an individual or a company described in paragraph 3 is a resident of both Contracting States, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement endeavour to settle the question and to determine the mode of application of the Convention to such person. In the absence of such agreement, such person shall not be entitled to claim any relief or exemption from tax provided by the Convention.

Article 5
Permanent Establishment

• 1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “permanent establishment” means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.

• 2. The term “permanent establishment” includes especially

  • (a) a place of management;

  • (b) a branch;

  • (c) an office;

  • (d) a factory;

  • (e) a workshop; and

  • (f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place relating to the exploration for or the exploitation of natural resources.

• 3. The term “permanent establishment” also includes:

  • (a) a building site or construction, assembly or installation project, including the planning, preparatory work and supervisory activities associated with it, but only if such building site, construction project or activities last more than six months;

  • (b) the furnishing of services, including consulting services, by an enterprise of a Contracting State through employees or other individuals engaged by the enterprise for such purposes in the other Contracting State, but only where such activities continue within that State for a period or periods aggregating more than 183 days within any twelve-month period.

• 4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term “permanent establishment” shall be deemed not to include

  • (a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;

  • (b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;

  • (c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;

  • (d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;

  • (e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character; or

  • (f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (e) provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.

• 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person (other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies) is acting on behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a Contracting State an authority to conclude contracts on behalf of the enterprise, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in that State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 4 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business, would not make this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the provisions of that paragraph.

• 6. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this article, an insurance enterprise resident in a Contracting State shall, except in regard to reinsurance, be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects premiums in the territory of that other State or insures risks situated therein through a person other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies.

• 7. An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in a Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that State through a broker, a general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business and the conditions of the transactions between the agent and the enterprise are those which would have been made between independent enterprises or parties.

• 8. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.

III. TAXATION OF INCOME

Article 6
Income from Immovable Property

• 1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “immovable property” shall have the meaning which it has for the purposes of the relevant tax law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The term 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 or exploit, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources. Ships and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.

• 3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property and to income from the alienation of such property.

• 4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income from immovable property of an enterprise.

Article 7
Business Profits

• 1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries or has carried on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to that permanent establishment.

• 2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries (or has carried) on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment and with all other persons.

• 3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment including executive and general administrative expenses, whether incurred in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.

• 4. No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment by reason of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.

• 5. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and sufficient reason to the contrary.

• 6. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.

Article 8
Shipping and Air Transport

• 1. Profits derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in that State.

• 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 and of Article 7, profits derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from a transport by a ship or aircraft, where such transport is principally between places in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

• 3. For the purposes of this Article:

  • (a) the term “profits” includes gross revenue earned directly from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic, and

  • (b) the term “operation of ships or aircraft” by an enterprise also includes:

    • (i) the chartering or leasing of ships or aircraft on a bareboat basis;

    • (ii) the leasing of containers and related equipment,

    provided that this chartering or leasing is incidental to the operation by that enterprise of ships or aircraft in international traffic.

• 4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.

Article 9
Associated Enterprises

• 1. Where

  • (a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, or

  • (b) 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,

  and in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial or financial relations that differ from those that would be made between independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those conditions, has not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed accordingly.

• 2. Where a Contracting State includes in the profits of an enterprise of that State — and taxes accordingly — profits on which an enterprise of the other Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other State and the profits so included are profits that would have accrued to the enterprise of the first mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been those that would have been made between independent enterprises, then that other State, if it agrees that the adjustment made by the first-mentioned State is justified, shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of tax charged therein on those profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Convention and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.

• 3. A Contracting State shall not change the income of an enterprise in the circumstances referred to in paragraph 1 after the expiry of the time limits provided in its domestic laws and, in any case, after seven years from the end of the year in which the income that would be subject to such change would, but for the conditions referred to in paragraph 1, have been attributed to that enterprise.

• 4. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 shall not apply in the case of fraud or wilful default.

Article 10
Dividends

• 1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed:

  • (a) 5 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company that controls directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the voting power in the company paying the dividends; and

  • (b) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends, in all other cases.

  This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.

• 3. The term “dividends” as used in this Article means income from shares, “jouissance” shares or “jouissance” rights, mining shares, founders’ shares or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income from other rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.

• 4. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident through a permanent establishment situated therein and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment. In such case the provisions of Article 7 shall apply.

• 5. Where a company that is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment situated in that other State, nor subject the company’s undistributed profits to a tax on the company’s undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.

• 6. Nothing in this Convention shall be construed as preventing a Contracting State from imposing on the earnings of a company attributable to a permanent establishment in that State, or the earnings attributable to the alienation of immovable property situated in that State by a company carrying on a trade in immovable property, a tax in addition to the tax that would be chargeable on the earnings of a company that is a national of that State, except that any additional tax so imposed shall not exceed five per cent of the amount of such earnings that have not been subjected to such additional tax in previous taxation years. For the purpose of this provision, the term “earnings” means the earnings attributable to the alienation of such immovable property situated in a Contracting State as may be taxed by that State under the provisions of Article 6 or of paragraph 1 of Article 13, and the profits, including any gains, attributable to a permanent establishment in a Contracting State in a year and previous years, after deducting therefrom all taxes, other than the additional tax referred to herein, imposed on such profits in that State.

Article 11
Interest

• 1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.

• 3. The term “interest” as used in this Article means income from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures, as well as any other income which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from money lent by the laws of the State in which the income arises. However, the term “interest” does not include income dealt with in Article 8 or in Article 10.

• 4. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises through a permanent establishment situated therein and the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 shall apply.

• 5. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether the payer is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated.

• 6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount that would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.

Article 12
Royalties

• 1. Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the royalties is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.

• 3. The term “royalties” as used in this Article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematographic films or movies, tapes and other means of audio and video reproduction, patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process or other intangible property, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience. The term “royalties” also includes payments received as consideration for the furnishing of technical assistance, technical services and consulting services. However, the term “royalties” does not include income dealt with in Article 8.

• 4. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 shall apply.

• 5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether the payer is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment in connection with which the obligation to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated.

• 6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and another person, the amount of the royalties, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds the amount that would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.

Article 13
Capital Gains

• 1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has or had in the other Contracting State, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) may be taxed in that other State.

• 3. Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic or movable property pertaining to, the operation of such ships or aircraft shall be taxable only in that State.

• 4. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of

  • (a) shares deriving more than 50 per cent of their value directly or indirectly from immovable property situated in the other State;

  • (b) an interest in a partnership, trust or other entity, deriving more than 50 per cent of its value directly or indirectly from immovable property situated in the other State; or

  • (c) shares or other rights in the capital of a company that is a resident of the other State, where the resident of the first-mentioned State owned, at any time within the twelve-month period preceding the alienation directly or indirectly 25 per cent or more of the capital of that company,

  may be taxed in that other State.

• 5. Gains from the alienation of any property, other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4, shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.

• 6. The provisions of paragraph 5 shall not affect the right of a Contracting State to levy, according to its law, a tax on gains from the alienation of any property, other than property to which the provisions of paragraph 7 apply, derived by an individual who is a resident of the other Contracting State and has been a resident of the first-mentioned State at any time during the six years immediately preceding the alienation of the property.

• 7. Where an individual who ceases to be a resident of a Contracting State, and immediately thereafter becomes a resident of the other Contracting State, is treated for the purposes of taxation in the first-mentioned State as having alienated a property and is taxed in that State by reason thereof, the individual may elect to be treated for purposes of taxation in the other State as if the individual had, immediately before becoming a resident of that State, sold and repurchased the property for an amount equal to its fair market value at that time. However, this provision shall not apply to property any gain from which, arising immediately before the individual became a resident of that other State, may be taxed in that other State nor to immovable property situated in a third State.

Article 14
Income from Employment

• 1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 15, 17 and 18, salaries, wages and other remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if:

  • (a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned, and

  • (b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State, and

  • (c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment which the employer has in the other State.

• 3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international traffic by an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the remuneration is derived by a resident of the other Contracting State.

Article 15
Directors’ Fees

Directors’ fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in the capacity as a member of the board of directors or a similar body of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

Article 16
Artistes and Sportspersons

• 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7 and 14, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sportsperson, from that resident’s personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State. The income to which this paragraph refers includes income from any personal activity in the other Contracting State related to that resident’s reputation as an entertainer or sportsperson.

• 2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsperson in that individual’s capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsperson personally but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7 and 14, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsperson are exercised.

• 3. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not apply if it is established that neither the entertainer or the sportsperson nor persons related thereto participate directly or indirectly in the profits of the person referred to in that paragraph.

Article 17
Pensions and Annuities

• 1. Pensions and annuities arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. Pensions arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may also be taxed in the State in which they arise and according to the laws of that State. However, in the case of periodic pension payments, the tax so charged shall not exceed the lesser of:

  • (a) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the payment; and

  • (b) the rate determined by reference to the amount of tax that the recipient of the payment would otherwise be required to pay for the year on the total amount of the periodic pension payments received by the individual in the year, if the individual were resident in the Contracting State in which the payment arises.

• 3. Annuities other than pensions arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may also be taxed in the State in which they arise and according to the law of that State, but the tax so charged shall not exceed 15 per cent of the portion thereof that is subject to tax in that State. However, this limitation does not apply to lump-sum payments arising on the surrender, cancellation, redemption, sale or other alienation of an annuity, or to payments of any kind under an annuity contract the cost of which was deductible, in whole or in part, in computing the income of any person who acquired the contract.

• 4. Notwithstanding anything in this Convention

  • (a) war pensions and allowances (including pensions and allowances paid to war veterans or paid as a consequence of damages or injuries suffered as a consequence of a war) arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that other State to the extent that they would be exempt from tax if received by a resident of the first-mentioned State; and

  • (b) alimony and other similar support payments arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State who is subject to tax therein in respect thereof shall be taxable only in that other State, but the amount taxable in that other State shall not exceed the amount that would be taxable in the first-mentioned State if the recipient were a resident thereof.

Article 18
Government Service

• 1. (a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.

• (b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:

  • (i) is a national of that State, or

  • (ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.

• 2.  The provisions of Articles 14, 15 and 16 shall apply to salaries, wages and other similar remuneration in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof.

Article 19
Students

Payments which a student or business apprentice who is, or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State, a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the purpose of that individual’s education or training receives for the purpose of that individual’s maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State, if such payments arise from sources outside that State.

Article 20
Other Income

• 1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention and arising from sources in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other Contracting State.

• 2. In the case of Canada, where such income is income from a trust, other than a trust to which contributions were deductible, the tax so charged shall not exceed 15 per cent of the gross amount of the income if the beneficial owner is a resident of Colombia, provided that the income is taxable in Colombia.

IV. TAXATION OF CAPITAL

Article 21
Capital

• 1. Capital represented by immovable property owned by a resident of a Contracting State and situated in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

• 2. Capital represented by movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

• 3. Capital represented by ships or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State in international traffic, and by movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft, shall be taxable only in that State.

• 4. All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.

V. METHODS FOR ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION

Article 22
Elimination of Double Taxation

• 1. In the case of Canada, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:

  • (a) subject to the existing provisions of the law of Canada regarding the deduction from tax payable in Canada of tax paid in a territory outside Canada and to any subsequent modification of those provisions — which shall not affect the general principle hereof — and unless a greater deduction or relief is provided under the laws of Canada, tax payable in Colombia on profits, income or gains arising in Colombia shall be deducted from any Canadian tax payable in respect of such profits, income or gains;

  • (b) subject to the existing provisions of the law of Canada regarding the allowance as a credit against Canadian tax of tax payable in a territory outside Canada and to any subsequent modification of those provisions — which shall not affect the general principle hereof — where a company which is a resident of Colombia pays a dividend to a company which is a resident of Canada and which controls directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the voting power in the first-mentioned company, the credit shall take into account the tax payable in Colombia by that first-mentioned company in respect of the profits out of which such dividend is paid; and

  • (c) where, in accordance with any provision of the Convention, income derived by a resident of Canada is exempt from tax in Canada, Canada may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on other income, take into account the exempted income.

• 2. In the case of Colombia, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:

  • (a) Where a resident of a Colombia derives income or owns elements of capital which, under this Convention, may be taxed in the other Contracting State, Colombia shall, subject to the limitations of its domestic laws, allow:

    • (i) as a deduction (descuento) from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the income tax paid in the other State;

    • (ii) as a deduction (descuento) from the tax on the capital of that resident an amount equal to the tax paid in the other State on those elements of capital; and

    • (iii) as a deduction (descuento) from the corporate income tax effectively paid by a company that pays out dividends, an amount corresponding to the profits out of which such dividends are paid.

    However, such deduction (descuento) shall not exceed that part of the income tax or capital tax calculated before the deduction (descuento) is given, which is attributable to the income or the elements of capital which may be taxed in that other State.

  • (b) Where, under any provision of this Convention, income derived or capital owned by a resident of Colombia is exempt from tax in Colombia, Colombia may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income or capital of such resident, take into account the exempted income or capital.

• 3. For the purposes of this Article, profits, income or gains of a resident of a Contracting State that may be taxed in the other Contracting State in accordance with this Convention shall be deemed to arise from sources in that other State.

VI. SPECIAL PROVISIONS

Article 23
Non-Discrimination

• 1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith that is more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected.

• 2. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities.

• 3. Nothing in this Article shall be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents.

• 4. Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises which are residents of the first-mentioned State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of a third State, are or may be subjected.

• 5. In this Article, the term “taxation” means taxes that are the subject of this Convention.

Article 24
Mutual Agreement Procedure

• 1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for that person in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, that person may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those States, address to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which that person is a resident or, alternatively, if that person’s case comes under paragraph 1 of Article 23 to that of the Contracting State of which that person is a national, an application in writing stating the grounds for claiming the revision of such taxation. To be admissible, the said application must be submitted within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

• 2. The competent authority referred to in paragraph 1 shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation not in accordance with the Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.

• 3. A Contracting State shall not, after the expiry of the time limits provided in its domestic laws and, in any case, after seven years from the end of the taxable period to which the income concerned was attributed, increase the tax base of a resident of either of the Contracting States by including therein income that has also been included in income in the other Contracting State. This paragraph shall not apply in the case of fraud or wilful default.

• 4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention.

• 5. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Convention and may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of applying the Convention.

Article 25
Exchange of Information

• 1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is foreseeably relevant for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the Contracting States, insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention. The exchange of information is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2.

• 2. Any information received under paragraph 1 by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic laws of that State and shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) concerned with the assessment or collection of, the enforcement in respect of, the determination of appeals in relation to taxes, or the oversight of the above. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.

• 3. In no case shall the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation

  • (a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and the administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;

  • (b) to supply information that is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State; or

  • (c) to supply information that would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).

• 4. If information is requested by a Contracting State in accordance with this Article, the other Contracting State shall use its information gathering measures to obtain the requested information, even though the other State does not need such information for its own tax purposes. The obligation contained in the preceding sentence is subject to the limitations of paragraph 3 but in no case shall such limitations be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because it has no domestic interest in such information.

• 5. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 3 be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because the information is held by a bank, other financial institution, nominee or person acting in an agency or fiduciary capacity or because the information relates to ownership interests in a person.

Article 26
Anti-Abuse Clauses

• 1. The provisions of Articles 10, 11 and 12 shall not apply if the purpose or one of the main purposes of any person in relation to the creation or assignment of a share, a debt-claim, or a right with respect to which dividends, interest or royalties are paid, was to derive benefits from one or more of those Articles through such creation or assignment.

• 2. Nothing in the Convention shall be construed as preventing a Contracting State from imposing a tax on amounts included in the income of a resident of that State with respect to a partnership, trust, company, or other entity in which that resident has an interest.

• 3. The Convention shall not apply to any company, trust or other entity that is a resident of a Contracting State and is beneficially owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more persons who are not residents of that State, if the amount of the tax imposed on the income or capital of the company, trust, partnership or other entity by that State is substantially lower than the amount that would be imposed by that State (after taking into account any reduction or offset of the amount of tax in any manner, including a refund, reimbursement, contribution, credit, or allowance to the company, trust or partnership, or to any other person) if all of the shares of the capital stock of the company or all of the interests in the trust or other entity, as the case may be, were beneficially owned by one or more individuals who were residents of that State.

• 4. In the event that one or more of the provisions of the Convention give rise to results that were not intended or envisaged thereunder, the Contracting States shall consult each other on the matter with a view towards reaching a mutually acceptable solution, including possible amendments to the Convention.

Article 27
Members of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts

• 1. Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.

• 2. Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 4, an individual who is a member of a diplomatic mission, consular post or permanent mission of a Contracting State that is situated in the other Contracting State or in a third State shall be deemed for the purposes of the Convention to be a resident only of the sending State if that individual is liable in the sending State to the same obligations in relation to tax on total income as are residents of that sending State.

Article 28
Miscellaneous Rules

• 1. The provisions of this Convention shall not be construed to restrict in any manner any exemption, allowance, credit or other deduction accorded by the laws of a Contracting State in the determination of the tax imposed by that State.

• 2. For the purposes of paragraph 3 of Article XXII (Consultation) of the General Agreement on Trade in Services, the Contracting States agree that, notwithstanding that paragraph, any dispute between them as to whether a measure falls within the scope of the Convention may be brought before the Council for Trade in Services, as provided by that paragraph, only with the consent of both Contracting States. Any doubt as to the interpretation of this paragraph shall be resolved under paragraph 4 of Article 24 or, failing agreement under that procedure, pursuant to any other procedure agreed to by both Contracting States.

• 3. Contributions in a year in respect of services rendered in that year paid by, or on behalf of, an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State or who is temporarily present in that State to a pension plan that is recognized for tax purposes in the other Contracting State shall, during a period not exceeding in the aggregate 60 months, be treated in the same way for tax purposes in the first-mentioned State as a contribution paid to a pension plan that is recognized for tax purposes in that first-mentioned State, if

  • (a) such individual was contributing on a regular basis to the pension plan for a period ending immediately before that individual became a resident of or temporarily present in the first-mentioned State; and

  • (b) the competent authority of the first-mentioned State agrees that the pension plan generally corresponds to a pension plan recognized for tax purposes by that State.

  For the purposes of this paragraph, “pension plan” includes a pension plan created under the social security system in a Contracting State.

VII. FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 29
Entry into Force

• 1. Each of the Contracting States shall notify the other through diplomatic channels of the completion of the procedures required by law for the bringing into force of the Convention. The Convention shall enter into force on the date of the later of these notifications and its provisions shall thereupon have effect:

  • (a) in Canada

    • (i) in respect of tax withheld at the source on amounts paid or credited to non-residents, on or after the first day of January in the calendar year following that in which the Convention enters into force, and

    • (ii) in respect of other Canadian tax, for taxation years beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year following that in which the Convention enters into force; and

  • (b) in Colombia

    • (i) in respect of taxes on income that is obtained and amounts paid, deposited, or accounted for as expenses, as of the first day of January of the calendar year immediately following that in which the Convention enters into force,

    • (ii) in all other cases, as of the date on which the Convention enters into force.

Article 30
Termination

This Convention shall continue in effect indefinitely but either Contracting State may, on or before June 30 of any calendar year after the year of the entry into force, give to the other Contracting State a notice of termination in writing through the diplomatic channel. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:

• (a) in Canada

  • (i) in respect of tax withheld at the source on amounts paid or credited to non-residents, after the end of that calendar year, and

  • (ii) in respect of other Canadian tax, for taxation years beginning after the end of that calendar year; and

• (b) in Colombia

  • (i) in respect of taxes on income that is obtained and amounts paid, deposited, or accounted for as expenses, as of the first day of January of the calendar year immediately following that in which the notice is given;

  • (ii) in all other cases, as of the date the notice is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized to that effect, have signed this Convention.

DONE in duplicate at Lima, this 21st day of November 2008, in the English, French and Spanish languages, each version being equally authentic.

Lawrence Cannon

Minister of Foreign Affairs

FOR CANADA

Jaime Bermudez

Minister of Foreign Affairs

FOR THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA

At the time of signing of this Convention between Canada and the Republic of Colombia for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital, the undersigned have agreed upon the following provisions which shall be an integral part of the Convention.

• 1. It is understood that

  • (a) With reference to paragraph 3 of Article 5, for the purpose of calculating the time limit referred to therein, the period during which the activities carried out by an enterprise associated with another enterprise within the meaning of Article 9 shall be added to the period during which the activities are carried out by the enterprise with which it is associated, provided that the activities of the two enterprises are identical or substantially similar and are carried on in connection with the same site or project.

  • (b) With reference to paragraph 3 of Article 5, planning, preparatory work and supervisory activities shall be considered to be associated to a building site or construction or installation project only where such work or activities are performed at the location of the building site or construction or installation project.

  • (c) For purposes of Article 7, profits are attributed to a permanent establishment under paragraph 2 of Article 7 as if the permanent establishment were a separate enterprise dealing independently from the enterprise of which it is a part. Paragraph 3 of Article 7 sets out the principle that expenses incurred by the enterprise for the purpose of the permanent establishment, wherever incurred, shall be allowed as a deduction in attributing profits to the permanent establishment. In applying that paragraph, deductibility of expenses shall be determined in accordance with the internal legislation of the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is located, provided that the requirements, conditions, and limitations to which they are subjected, are complied with.

  • (d) In the case of Colombia, for the purposes of this Convention, the term “ships” includes vessels.

  • (e) In the case of Colombia, notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 10, when a company resident in Colombia has not paid income tax on the profit distributed to shareholders (socios o accionistas), because of exemptions or because the profit exceeds the maximum non-taxed limit contained in Article 49 and in paragraph 1 of Article 245 of the Tax Statute, the dividend distributed may be taxed in Colombia at a rate of 15 per cent, if the beneficial owner of the dividend is a shareholder (socio o accionista) resident in Canada.

  • (f) For greater certainty, the term “right” in paragraph 4 of Article 12 includes contractual rights to receive payments in respect of the furnishing of technical assistance, technical services or consulting services.

  • (g) If, after the signing of the Convention, Colombia concludes with a third state a Convention which provides for provisions in respect of technical assistance, technical services or consulting services that are more favourable than those provided for in Article 12 of the Convention, such provisions shall apply automatically to the Convention, under the same conditions as if such provisions had been set out in the Convention. Such provisions shall apply to this Convention from the date of entry into force of the convention with the third state. The competent authority of Colombia shall inform the competent authority of Canada without delay that the conditions of application of this subparagraph have been fulfilled.

  • (h) Paragraphs 6 and 7 of Article 13 are included in the Convention in view of Canada’s domestic rules regarding taxpayer migration. At the time of the signature of the Convention, Colombia has no similar domestic rules and, therefore, it is anticipated that these paragraphs will initially only apply in the case of an individual who ceases to be a resident of Canada.

  • (i) With reference to paragraph 2 of Article 20, it is agreed to have that paragraph apply only in the case of Canada on the understanding that under the domestic law of Colombia, income from a trust retains the legal characterization of the underlying income earned by that trust.

  • (j) For greater certainty, the seven year time limit referred to in paragraph 3 of Article 24 and paragraph 3 of Article 9 shall only apply if the domestic law of the Contracting State first-mentioned in such paragraphs provides for a longer time period.

IN WITNESS whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto, by their respective Governments, have signed this Protocol.

DONE in duplicate at Lima, this 21st day of November 2008, in the English, French and Spanish languages, each version being equally authentic.

Lawrence Cannon

Minister of Foreign Affairs

FOR CANADA

Jaime Bermudez

Minister of Foreign Affairs

FOR THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA