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Canadian Treaty Series |
E103217 - CTS 1978 No. 11
CONVENTION BETWEEN CANADA AND MOROCCO FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME AND ON CAPITAL
The Government of Canada and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco,
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 I
Personal Scope
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
ARTICLE II
Taxes Covered
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of each 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:
(a) in the case of Canada:
the income taxes imposed by the Government of Canada
(hereinafter referred to as “Canadian tax”);
(b) in the case of Morocco:
(i) the business profits tax and the investment reserve;
(ii) the tax on public and private salaries, emoluments, fees, wages, pensions and annuities;
(iii) the tax on urban real property;
(iv) the agricultural tax;
(v) the complementary tax on the total income of individuals;
(vi) the tax on income from shares or corporate rights and assimilated income
(hereinafter referred to as “Moroccan tax”).
4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes and to taxes on capital which are imposed after the date of signature of this Convention in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The Contracting States shall notify each other of changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
II. DEFINITIONS
ARTICLE III
General Definitions
1. In this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) (i) the term “Canada” used in a geographical sense, means the territory of Canada, including any area beyond the territorial waters of Canada which, under the laws of Canada, is an area within which Canada may exercise rights with respect to the sea-bed and sub-soil and their natural resources;
(ii) the term “Morocco” means the Kingdom of Morocco and when used in a geographical sense, means the territory of Morocco and the territory adjacent to the territorial waters of Morocco which is considered as national territory for tax purposes and where Morocco may, in accordance with international law, exercise its rights with respect to the sea-bed and sub-soil and their natural resources (continental shelf);
(b) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean, as the context requires, Canada or Morocco;
(c) the term “person” includes an individual, an estate, a trust, a company, a partnership and any other body of persons;
(d) the term “company” means any body corporate or any other entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes; in French, the term “société” also means a “corporation” within the meaning of Canadian law;
(e) 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;
(f) the term “competent authority” means:
(i) in the case of Canada, the Minister of National Revenue or his authorized representative,
(ii) in the case of Morocco, the Minister responsible for Finances or his duly authorized or delegated representative;
(g) the term “tax” means Canadian tax or Moroccan tax, as the context requires;
(h) the term “national” means:
(i) any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) any legal person, partnership and association deriving its status as such from the law in force in a Contracting State.
2. As regards the application of the Convention by a Contracting State any term not otherwise defined shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the laws of that Contracting State relating to the taxes which are the subject of the Convention.
ARTICLE IV
Fiscal Domicile
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “resident of a Contracting State” means 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.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then this case shall be determined in accordance with the following rules:
(a) 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 with which his personal and economic relations are closest (hereinafter referred to as his “centre of vital interests”);
(b) 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;
(c) if he has an habitual abode in both Contracting States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State of which he is a national;
(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.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than an individual 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.
ARTICLE V
Permanent Establishment
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “permanent establishment” means a fixed place of business in which the business of the enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term “permanent establishment” shall include especially:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) a sales outlet;
(d) an office;
(e) a factory;
(f) a workshop;
(g) a mine, quarry or other place of extraction of natural resources;
(h) a building site or construction project;
(i) an assembly project which exists for more than 6 months.
3. The term “permanent establishment” shall not be deemed 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 for collecting information, for the enterprise;
(e) 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.
4. A person (other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 5 applies) acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State shall be deemed to be a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned State if he has, and habitually exercises in that 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.
5. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that other State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, where such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
6. 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 for either company a permanent establishment of the other.
III. TAXATION OF INCOME
ARTICLE VI
Income from Immovable Property
1. Income from immovable property including income from agriculture or forestry may be taxed in the Contracting State in which such property is situated.
2. For the purposes of this Convention, the term “immovable property” shall be defined in accordance with the 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, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources; ships, boats 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 profits 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 and to income from immovable property used for the performance of professional services.
ARTICLE VII
Business Profits
1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on or has carried on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries on 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 on 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.
3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed those deductible expenses incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment, including general expenses and outlays in respect of services rendered to that permanent establishment, whether incurred in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
4. 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 VIII
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 Article VII, profits derived from the operation of ships or aircraft used principally to transport passengers or goods exclusively between places in a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
3. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall also apply to profits referred to in those paragraphs derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from its participation in a pool, a joint business or in an international operating agency.
ARTICLE IX
Interdependent Enterprises
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 which differ from those which 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, have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed accordingly.
ARTICLE X
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 be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, and according to the law of that State; but where the resident of the other Contracting State is the beneficial owner of the dividends, the tax so charged shall not exceed 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends. The provisions of this paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company on 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 assimilated to income from shares by the taxation law of the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, shall not apply if the recipient of the dividends, being a resident of one of the Contracting States, carries on in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, a trade or business through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State professional services from a fixed base situated therein, and the holding by virtue of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such a case, the provisions of Article VII or Article XIV, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Where a company which is a resident of only one of the Contracting States, derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other Contracting State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company to persons who are not residents of that other State, nor subject the company’s undistributed profits to a tax on undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State. The provisions of this paragraph shall not prevent that other State from taxing dividends relating to a holding which is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base operated in that other State by a person who is not a resident of that 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, tax in addition to the tax which would be chargeable on the earnings of a company which is a national of that State, provided that any additional tax so imposed shall not exceed 15 per cent of the amount of such earnings which have not been subjected to such additional tax in previous taxation years. For the purposes of this provision, the term “earnings” means the profits 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 XI
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 be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the law of that State; but the tax so charged shall, provided that the interest is taxable in the other Contracting State, not exceed 15 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 whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor’s profits, 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 income assimilated to income from money lent by the taxation law of the State in which the income arises. However, the term “interest” does not include income dealt with in Article X.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the recipient of the interest, being a resident of one of the Contracting States, carries on in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises a trade or business through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State professional services from a fixed base situated therein, and the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such a case, the provisions of Article VII or Article XIV, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he 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 that interest is borne by that permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated.
6. Where, owing to a special relationship between the payer and the recipient or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest paid, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the recipient in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In that case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the law of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
7. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State and paid in respect of a bond, debenture or other similar obligation of the government of that Contracting State or of a political subdivision or local authority thereof shall, provided that the interest is beneficially owned by a resident of the other Contracting State, be taxable only in that other State.
ARTICLE XII
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 be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise, and according to the law of that State; but the tax so charged shall, provided that the royalties are taxable in the other Contracting State, not exceed:
5 per cent of the gross amount of the copyright royalties and other like payments in respect of the production or reproduction of any literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work (but not including royalties in respect of motion picture films and works on film or videotape for use in connection with television);
10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties in all other cases.
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 motion picture and television films, any patent, trademark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, agricultural, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment not being an immovable property dealt with in Article VI, or for information concerning agricultural, industrial, commercial or scientific experience, and remuneration for technical or economic studies.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the recipient of the royalties, being a resident of one of the Contracting States, carries on in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise a trade or business through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State professional services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such a case, the provisions of Article VII or Article XIV, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or fixed base in connection with which the obligation to pay the royalties was incurred, and those royalties are borne by that permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. Where, owing to a special relationship between the payer and the recipient or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties paid, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the recipient in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In that case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the law of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
ARTICLE XIII
Gains from the Alienation of Property
1. Gains from the alienation of immovable property may be taxed in the Contracting State in which such property is situated.
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 in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing professional services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or together with the whole enterprise) or of such a fixed base may be taxed in the other State. However, gains from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic and movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft, shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which such property is taxable according to paragraph 3 of Article XXI.
3. Gains from the alienation of shares of a company, the property of which consists principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State, may be taxed in that State.
Gains from the alienation of an interest in a partnership or a trust, the property of which consists principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State, may be taxed in that State.
4. Gains from the alienation of any property, other than those mentioned in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
5. The provisions of paragraph 4 shall not affect the right of a Contracting State to levy, according to its domestic law, a tax on gains derived by an individual who is a resident of the other Contracting State from the alienation of any property, if the alienator:
(a) possesses the nationality of the first-mentioned State or was resident therein for ten years or more prior to the alienation of the property; and
(b) was resident in the first-mentioned State at any time during the five years immediately preceding the alienation of the property.
ARTICLE XIV
Independent Personal Services
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the performance of independent personal services may be taxed in that Contracting State. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2, such income is exempt from tax in the other Contracting State.
2. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the performance of independent personal services in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State:
(a) if he is present in the other Contracting State for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the taxation year; or
(b) if he has a fixed base available to him in the other Contracting State for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 90 days in the taxation year, but only to the extent that such income is attributable to that fixed base; or
(c) if the gross amount of such income exceeds five thousand Canadian dollars ($5,000) or its equivalent in Moroccan dirhams.
ARTICLE XV
Dependent Personal Services
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles XVI and XVIII, salaries, wages and other similar 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 Contracting State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the calendar year concerned;
(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 or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration 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.
ARTICLE XVI
Directors’ Fees
Directors’ fees and similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors or a similar organ of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.
ARTICLE XVII
Artistes and Athletes
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles VII, XIV and XV;
(a) income derived by public entertainers, such as theatre, motion picture, radio or television artistes, and musicians, and by athletes, from their personal activities as such may be taxed in the Contracting State in which these activities are exercised;
(b) the rule laid down in subparagraph (a) shall also apply to profits derived by the exhibitors or organizers of shows or entertainments of any kind and to income from activities performed by any person contributing to the organization or execution of performances by public entertainers or athletes.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income derived from activities exercised in a Contracting State by non-profit organizations of the other Contracting State or by members of the personnel thereof, except if the latter are acting for their personal benefit.
ARTICLE XVIII
Government Service
1. (a) Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to any individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that State.
(b) However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the recipient is a resident if the services are rendered in that State and the recipient did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of performing the services.
2. The provision of paragraph 1 shall not apply to remuneration in respect of services rendered in connection with any trade or business carried on by one of the Contracting States or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof.
ARTICLE XIX
Students, Business Trainees and Apprentices
Payments which a student, apprentice or business trainee who is, or was immediately before visiting one of the Contracting States, a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned Contracting State solely for the purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that first-mentioned State, provided that such payments are made to him from sources outside that State.
ARTICLE XX
Income not Expressly Mentioned
Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State which are not expressly mentioned in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in that Contracting State except that, if such income is derived from sources within the other Contracting State, it may also be taxed in that other Contracting State.
IV. TAXATION OF CAPITAL
ARTICLE XXI
1. Capital represented by immovable property may be taxed in the Contracting State in which such property is situated.
2. Capital represented by movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment of an enterprise, or by movable property pertaining to a fixed base used for the performance of professional services, may be taxed in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
3. Ships and aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State in international traffic and movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships and 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 PREVENTION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
ARTICLE XXII
1. In the case of Canada, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
(a) Subject to the existing conditions of application 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 conditions which shall not affect the principle laid down in this subparagraph and unless a greater deduction or relief is provided under the laws of Canada, Moroccan tax payable under the tax laws of Morocco and in accordance with this Convention on profits, income or gains arising in Morocco is fully deducted from the amount of any Canadian tax payable in respect of such profits, income or gains.
(b) Subject to the existing conditions of application of the law of Canada regarding the determination of the exempt surplus of a foreign affiliate and to any subsequent modification of those conditions which shall not affect the principle hereof, for the purpose of computing Canadian tax, a company which is a resident of Canada shall be allowed to deduct in computing its taxable income any dividend receive by it out of the exempt surplus of a foreign affiliate which is a resident of Morocco.
2. In the case of residents of Morocco, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
(a) Where a resident of Morocco derives income not covered by subparagraph (b) below and which may be taxed in Canada in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, Morocco shall exempt such income from tax but may in calculating the taxes on the remaining income of that person, apply the rate of tax which would have been applicable if the exempted income had not been so exempted.
(b) In the case of income covered by Articles X, XI and XII above, Morocco may, in accordance with the provisions of its domestic law, include such income in the bases of the taxes covered by Article II; however, Morocco shall allow against the amount of the taxes on such income and only to the extent of that amount, a deduction equal to the amount of the taxes levied by Canada.
3. For the purposes of this Article, profits, income or gains of a resident of a Contracting State which are taxed in the other Contracting State in accordance with this Convention shall be deemed to arise from sources in that other State.
4. For the purposes of paragraph 1(a), Moroccan tax payable in accordance with the tax laws of Morocco by a company which is a resident of Canada:
(a) in respect of profits attributable to an industrial or commercial business carried on by it in Morocco shall include any amount which would have been payable as Moroccan tax for any year but for an exemption from, or reduction of, tax granted for the year or any part thereof under:
(i) any of the following provisions:
Royal Decree on Law no. 1-73-413 of 13 Rejeb 1393 (August 13, 1973) establishing incentives for industrial investments;
Royal Decree on Law no. 1-73-409 of 13 Rejeb 1393 (August 13, 1973) establishing incentives for investments in handicrafts;
Royal Decree on Law no. 1-73-408 of 13 Rejeb 1393 (August 13, 1973) establishing incentives for industrial investments and investments in handicrafts;
Royal Decree on Law no. 1-73-410 of 13 Rejeb 1393 (August 13, 1973) establishing incentives for maritime investments;
Royal Decree on Law no. 1-73-411 of 13 Rejeb 1393 (August 13, 1973) establishing incentives for touristic investments;
Royal Decree on Law no. 1-73-412 of 13 Rejeb 1393 (August 13, 1973) establishing incentives for mining investments;
(ii) any other provision which may subsequently be made granting an exemption or reduction of tax which is agreed by the competent authorities of the Contracting States to be of a substantially similar character, if it has not been modified thereafter or has been modified only in minor respects so as not to affect its general character;
so far as they were in force on, and have not been modified since, the date of signature of this Convention, or have been modified only in minor respects so as not to affect their general character; and except to the extent that any of the said provisions has the effect of exempting or relieving a source of income for a period in excess of ten years;
(b) in respect of interest arising in Morocco, shall include any amount which would have been payable as Moroccan tax in accordance with paragraph (2) of Article XI, if the payer has benefited under one or more of the provisions mentioned in subparagraph (i) and (ii) above;
(c) in respect of interest on loans issued by specialized bodies contributing to the economic development of Morocco, shall include any amount which would have been payable as Moroccan tax in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article XI.
5. For the purpose of computing the relevant amount of tax paid in Morocco, residents of Canada deriving profits or dividends from Morocco may elect, in accordance with the regulations issued by the Minister of National Revenue or his representative, to include in the computation of Moroccan tax the amount which they are required to invest in Moroccan equipment bonds in accordance with Article 37 of the Royal Decree no. 1010-65 of 8 Ramadan 1385 (December 31,1965) on the 1966 Finance Law; it is understood that such residents of Canada agree that any repayment of these bonds by the Government of Morocco shall, for the purposes of this Article, be deducted from the amount of the Moroccan tax deductible from Canadian tax for the year of the repayment.
VI. SPECIAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE XXIII
Non-Discrimination
1. The nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances are or may be subjected.
2. Stateless persons who are residents of one of the Contracting States shall not be subjected in either Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of the State concerned in the same circumstances are or may be subjected.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises 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.
6. In this Article, the term “taxation” means taxes which are the subject of this Convention.
ARTICLE XXIV
Mutual Agreement Procedure
1. Where a resident of a Contracting State considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with this Convention, he may, without prejudice to the remedies provided by the national laws of those States, address to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident an application in writing stating the grounds for claiming the revision of such taxation. To be admissible, the said application must be submitted within two years from the first notification of the action which gives rise to taxation not in accordance with 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 an appropriate 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.
3. 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. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Convention.
ARTICLE XXV
Exchange of Information
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for the carrying out of this Convention and of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by this Convention insofar as the taxation thereunder is in accordance with this Convention. Any information so exchanged shall be treated as secret and shall not be disclosed to any persons or authorities other than those concerned with the assessment or collection of the taxes which are the subject of this Convention.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose on one of the Contracting States the obligation:
(a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws or the administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) 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;
(c) 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 policy (ordre public).
ARTICLE XXVI
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. Notwithstanding Article IV of this Convention, an individual who is a member of a diplomatic, consular or permanent mission of a Contracting State which is situated in the other Contracting State or in a third State shall be deemed for the purposes of this Convention to be a resident of the sending State if he is liable in the sending State to the same obligations in relation to tax on his total world income as are residents of that sending State.
3. This Convention shall not apply to International Organizations, 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 that State to the same obligations in relation to tax on their total world income as are residents of that State.
ARTICLE XXVII
Miscellaneous
1. The provisions of this Convention shall not be construed to restrict in any manner any exclusion, exemption, deduction, credit, or other allowance now or hereafter accorded
(a) by the laws of one of the Contracting States in the determination of the tax imposed by that Contracting State, or
(b) by any other agreement between the Contracting States.
2. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall communicate with each other directly for the purpose of applying this Convention.
VII. FINAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE XXVIII
Entry into Force
1. This Convention shall be ratified and the Instruments of Ratification shall be exchanged as soon as possible.
2. The Convention shall enter into force upon the exchange of Instruments of Ratification and its provisions shall have effect:
(a) in respect of tax withheld at the source on amounts paid to non-residents on or after the first day of January in the calendar year in which the exchange of Instruments of Ratification takes place; and
(b) for other taxes:
(i) in Canada:
in respect of other taxes for taxation years beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year in which the exchange of Instruments of Ratification takes place;
(ii) in Morocco:
in respect of other taxes levied on income arising in taxable periods ending on or after the first day of January in the year of such exchange.
ARTICLE XXIX
Termination
This Convention shall continue in effect indefinitely but either Contracting State may, on or before June 30 in any calendar year after the year of the exchange of Instruments of Ratification, give notice of termination to the other Contracting State and 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 to non-residents on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given; and
(ii) in respect of other Canadian tax for taxation years beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is given;
(b) in Morocco:
(i) for taxes withheld at the source on income credited or payable on or before December 31 of the year of termination;
(ii) for other taxes levied on income arising in taxable periods ending on or before December 31 of the year of termination.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized to that effect, have signed this Convention.
DONE in duplicate at Ottawa, this 22nd day of December 1975, in English and in French, each version being equally authentic.
Allan J. MacEachen
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
Nourredine Hasnaoui
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO
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