S.I. No. 495/1998 - Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Malaysia) Order, 1998

S.I. No. 495 of 1998.

DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF (TAXES ON INCOME) (MALAYSIA) ORDER, 1998

WHEREAS it is enacted by sections 826 (1) and 828 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), that if the Government by order declare that arrangements specified in the order have been made with the government of any territory outside the State in relation to affording relief from double taxation in respect of income tax, corporation tax or capital gains tax and any taxes of a similar character, imposed by the laws of the State or by the laws of that territory, and that it is expedient that those arrangements should have the force of law, the arrangements shall, notwithstanding anything in any enactment other than section 168 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 , have the force of law:

AND WHEREAS it is further enacted by section 826 (6) of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 , that where such an order is proposed to be made, a draft of the order shall be laid before Dáil Éireann and the order shall not be made until a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by Dáil Éireann:

AND WHEREAS a draft of the following Order has been laid before Dáil Éireann and a resolution approving of the draft has been passed by Dáil Éireann:

NOW, the Government, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by sections 826 (1) and 828 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), hereby order as follows:

1. This Order may be cited as the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Malaysia) Order, 1998.

2. It is hereby declared -

(a) that the arrangements specified in the Agreement the text of which is set out in the Schedule to this Order has been made with the Government of Malaysia in relation to affording relief from double taxation in respect of income tax, corporation tax or capital gains tax and any taxes of a similar character, imposed by the laws of the State or by the laws of Malaysia, and

(b) that it is expedient that those arrangements should have the force of law.

SCHEDULE

AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND AND THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME

The Government of Ireland and the Government of Malaysia desiring to conclude an Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, have agreed as follows:

Article 1

PERSONAL SCOPE

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

Article 2

TAXES COVERED

1. This Agreement shall apply to taxes on income imposed by a Contracting State, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.

2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income all taxes imposed on total income or on elements of income, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property.

3. The existing taxes which are the subject of this Agreement are:

(a) in Malaysia:

(i) the income tax; and

(ii) the petroleum income tax;

(hereinafter referred to as "Malaysian tax");

(b) in Ireland:

(i) the income tax;

(ii) the corporation tax; and

(iii) the capital gains tax;

(hereinafter referred to as "Irish tax").

4. This Agreement shall also apply to any identical or substantially similar taxes on income which are imposed after the date of signature of this Agreement in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of important changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.

Article 3

GENERAL DEFINITIONS

1. In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) the term "Malaysia" means the territories of the Federation of Malaysia, the territorial waters of Malaysia and the sea-bed and subsoil of the territorial waters, and includes any area extending beyond the limits of the territorial waters of Malaysia, and the sea-bed and subsoil of any such area, which has been or may hereafter be designated under the laws of Malaysia and in accordance with international law as an area over which Malaysia has sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting the natural resources, whether living or non-living;

(b) the term "Ireland" includes any area outside the territorial waters of Ireland which, in accordance with international law, has been or may hereafter be designated under the laws of Ireland concerning the Continental Shelf, as an area within which the rights of Ireland with respect to the sea-bed and subsoil and their natural resources may be exercised;

c) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean Malaysia or Ireland as the context requires;

(d) the term "person" includes an individual, a company, a trust, an estate and any other body of persons which is treated as a person for tax purposes;

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

(f) 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;

(g) the term "tax" means Malaysian tax or Irish tax, as the context requires;

(h) the term "national" means any citizen of a Contracting State and any legal person, partnership, association and any other entity deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;

(i) the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;

(j) the term "competent authority" means:

(i) in the case of Malaysia, the Minister of Finance or his authorised representative;

and

(ii) in the case of Ireland, the Revenue Commissioners or their authorised representative.

2. In the application of this Agreement by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of that State concerning the taxes to which this Agreement applies.

Article 4

RESIDENT

1. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "resident of a Contracting State" means:

(a) in the case of Malaysia, a person who is resident in Malaysia for the purposes of Malaysian tax; and

(b) in the case of Ireland, a person who is resident in Ireland for the purposes of Irish tax.

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

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

(b) if the 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 State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which he has an habitual abode;

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

(d) if he 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 by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which its place of effective management is situated.

Article 5

PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT

1. For the purposes of this Agreement, 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;

(d) a factory;

(e) a workshop;

(f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.

3. A building site or construction, installation or assembly project constitutes a permanent establishment only if it lasts more than 9 months.

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;

(f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs (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. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it carries on supervisory activities in that other State for more than 6 months in connection with a building site or a construction, installation or assembly project which is being undertaken in that other State.

6. 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 in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, if such a person:

(a) has, and habitually exercises in that State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of 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; or

(b) maintains in the first-mentioned State a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise in respect of which he regularly receives and fulfils orders on behalf of the enterprise.

7. 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.

However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, he shall not be considered an agent of an independent status if the transactions between the agent and the enterprise were not made under arm's length conditions.

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.

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. The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning which it has under 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.

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 independent personal services.

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 on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only on so much thereof as is attributable to that permanent establishment.

2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries 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 determining 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 so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.

4. Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary; the method of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.

5. If the information available to the competent authority is inadequate to determine the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment of an enterprise, nothing in this Article shall affect the application of any law of that State relating to the determination of the tax liability of a person by the exercise of a discretion or the making of an estimate by the competent authority, provided that the law shall be applied, so far as the information available to the competent authority permits, in accordance with the principles of this Article.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Agreement, 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. For the purposes of this Article, profits derived from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic include profits derived from the rental of ships or aircraft if such rental profits are incidental to other profits described in paragraph 1.

3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to the share of the profits of an enterprise 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 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.

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 which would have accrued to the enterprise of the first-mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then that other State shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of the tax charged therein on those profits where that other State considers the adjustments are justified. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Agreement and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.

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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends.

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 or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate 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 and also includes any other item which, under the laws of the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividend is a resident, is treated as a dividend or distribution of a company.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 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, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such a case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

5. Where a company which 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 or a fixed base situated in 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.

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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the interest, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that State if:

(a) it is derived and beneficially owned by the Government of the other Contracting State, a statutory body thereof, or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof, or the central bank of that State, or by any agency or instrumentality of, or any financial institution wholly owned by, that Government; or

(b) it is paid in respect of a loan made, guaranteed or insured, or any other debt-claim or credit guaranteed or insured by the Government of the other Contracting State, a statutory body thereof, or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof, or the central bank of that State, or by any agency or instrumentality of, or any financial institution wholly owned by, that Government.

4. For the purposes of paragraph 3, the terms "central bank", "agency", "instrumentality" and "financial institution wholly owned by that Government" mean:

(a) in the case of Malaysia:

(i) the Bank Negara Malaysia;

(ii) the Export-Import Bank of Malaysia; and

(iii) such other agencies or instrumentalities of, and such other financial institutions wholly owned by, the Government of Malaysia as may be agreed from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States;

(b) in the case of Ireland:

(i) the Central Bank of Ireland; and

(ii) such other agencies or instrumentalities of, and such other financial institutions wholly owned by, the Government of Ireland as may be agreed from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.

5. 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 but does not include any income which is treated as a dividend under Article 10. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.

6. The provisions of paragraph 1 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, or performs in that other State independent personal 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 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

7. 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 statutory body thereof, 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 or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.

8. 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 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 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 Agreement.

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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the royalties, the tax so charged shall not exceed 8 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 motion pictures or films, recordings on tape or other media used for radio or television broadcasting or other means of reproduction or transmission), any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or for information (know-how) concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.

4. The provisions of paragraph 1 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, or performs in that other State independent personal 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 7 or Article 14, 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 statutory body thereof, or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying such royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the obligation to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base 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 royalties, 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 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 Agreement.

Article 13

GAINS FROM THE ALIENATION OF PROPERTY

1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2. Gains from the alienation of shares, rights or an interest in a company, in any other legal person or in a partnership, the assets of which consist principally of, or of rights in, immovable property situated in a Contracting State or of shares in a company the assets of which consist principally of, or of rights in, such immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be taxed in the State in which the immovable property is situated where, under the laws of that State, such gains are subject to the same taxation rules as gains from the alienation of immovable property.

3. Gains, other than those dealt with in paragraph 2, 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 independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other State.

4. 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.

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

Article 14

INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES

1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other independent activities of a similar character shall be taxable only in that State. However, in the following circumstances such income may be taxed in the other Contracting State:

(a) if he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities; in that case, only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base may be taxed in that other Contracting State; or

(b) if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the fiscal year concerned; in that case, only so much of the income as is derived from his activities performed in that other State may be taxed in that other State.

2. The term "professional services" includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.

Article 15

DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES

1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18 and 19, 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 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

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 may be taxed in that State.

Article 16

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 of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

Article 17

ARTISTES AND SPORTSMEN

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, 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 sportsman, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsman himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised.

3. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to remuneration or profits derived from activities exercised in a Contracting State if the visit to that State is directly or indirectly supported wholly or substantially from the public funds of the other Contracting State, a political subdivision, a local authority or a statutory body thereof.

Article 18

PENSIONS AND ANNUITIES

1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 19, any pension and other similar remuneration for past employment or any annuity arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in that other State.

2. The term "annuity" means a stated sum payable periodically at stated times, during life or during a specified or ascertainable period of time, under an obligation to make the payments in return for adequate and full consideration in money or money's worth.

Article 19

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 or a statutory body thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority or body in the discharge of functions of a governmental nature 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 other State and the recipient is a resident of that State who:

(i) is a national of that State, or

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

2. Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority or a statutory body thereof to any individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority or body shall be taxable only in that State.

3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16 and 18 shall apply to salaries, wages and other similar remuneration or pensions in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority or a statutory body thereof.

Article 20

STUDENTS AND TRAINEES

1. An individual who is a resident of a Contracting State immediately before making a visit to the other Contracting State and is temporarily present in the other State solely:

(a) as a student at a recognised university, college, school or other similar recognised educational institution in that other State;

(b) as a business or technical apprentice; or

(c) as a recipient of a grant, allowance or award for the primary purpose of study, research or training from the Government of either State or from a scientific, educational, religious or charitable organisation or under a technical assistance programme entered into by the Government of either State,

shall be exempt from tax in that other State on:

(i) all remittances from abroad for the purposes of his maintenance, education, study, research or training;

(ii) the amount of such grant, allowance or award; and

(iii) any remuneration not exceeding an amount which is equivalent to 3,000 United States dollars per annum in respect of services performed in that other State provided that such services are in connection with his study, research or training or are necessary for the purposes of his maintenance.

Article 21

LECTURERS AND RESEARCHERS

1. An individual who is a resident of a Contracting State immediately before making a visit to the other Contracting State, and who, at the invitation of any public university, college, institution primarily established for research purposes or other similar public institutions, visits that other State for a period not exceeding two years solely for the purpose of teaching or research or both at such public institution shall be exempt from tax in that other State on any remuneration for such teaching or research for a period not exceeding two years from the date he first visits that State for such purpose.

2. This Article shall not apply to remuneration from research if such research is undertaken primarily for the private benefit of a specific person or persons.

Article 22

OTHER INCOME

1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State which are not expressly mentioned in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement shall be taxable only in that Contracting State except that if such income is derived from sources in the other Contracting State, it may also be taxed in that other State.

2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the beneficial owner of the income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

Article 23

ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION

1. Subject to the laws of Malaysia regarding the allowance as a credit against Malaysian tax of tax payable in any country other than Malaysia, the Irish tax payable under the laws of Ireland and in accordance with this Agreement by a resident of Malaysia in respect of income derived from Ireland shall be allowed as a credit against Malaysian tax payable in respect of that income. Where such income is a dividend paid by a company which is a resident of Ireland to a company which is a resident of Malaysia and which owns not less than 10 per cent of the voting shares of the company paying the dividend, the credit shall take into account Irish tax payable by that company in respect of its income out of which the dividend is paid. The credit shall not, however, exceed that part of the Malaysian tax, as computed before the credit is given, which is appropriate to such item of income.

2. Subject to the provisions of the laws of Ireland regarding the allowance as a credit against Irish tax of tax payable in a territory outside Ireland (which shall not affect the general principle hereof) —

(a) Malaysian tax payable under the laws of Malaysia and in accordance with this Agreement, whether directly or by deduction, on profits, income and gains from sources within Malaysia (excluding in the case of a dividend tax payable in respect of the profits out of which the dividend is paid) shall be allowed as a credit against any Irish tax computed by reference to the same profits, income and gains by reference to which Malaysian tax is computed;

(b) in the case of a dividend paid by a company which is a resident of Malaysia to a company which is a resident of Ireland and which controls directly or indirectly 10 per cent or more of the voting power in the company paying the dividend, the credit shall take into account (in addition to any Malaysian tax creditable under the provisions of subparagraph (a)) Malaysian tax payable by the company in respect of the profits out of which such dividend is paid.

3. For the purposes of subparagraph (b) of paragraph 2, the term "Malaysian tax payable" shall be deemed to include Malaysian tax which would, under the laws of Malaysia and in accordance with this Agreement, have been payable on any income derived from sources in Malaysia had the income not been taxed at a reduced rate or exempted from Malaysian tax in accordance with:

(a) Section 133A of the Income Tax Act 1967 of Malaysia; or

(b) Sections 22, 23, 29, 29A to 29H, 31E and 41B of the Promotion of Investments Act 1986 of Malaysia, so far as the sections have not been modified since the date of signature of this Agreement or have been modified only in minor respects so as not to affect their general character; or

(c) any other provisions 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.

4. Credit for tax which is deemed to be included in Malaysian tax payable under the provisions of paragraph 3 shall be restricted to an amount such that the sum of Malaysian tax paid in respect of that part of the profits of the company out of which the dividend is paid and Irish tax paid in respect of such dividend shall not be less than 50 per cent of the Irish tax attributable to such dividend if no credit or deduction had been allowed for Malaysian tax.

5. Relief from Irish tax by virtue of paragraph 3 shall not be granted after 31 December, 2009.

6. The period of relief provided for in paragraph 5 may be extended by agreement between the Contracting States.

7. For the purposes of paragraph 2 profits, income or gains owned by a resident of Ireland which may be taxed in Malaysia in accordance with this Agreement shall be deemed to be derived from sources in Malaysia.

Article 24

LIMITATION OF RELIEF

Where, under any provision of this Agreement, income or gains is or are wholly or partly relieved from tax in a Contracting State and, under the laws in force in the other Contracting State, an individual, in respect of the said income or gains, is subject to tax by reference to the amount thereof which is remitted to or received in that other State, and not by reference to the full amount thereof, then the relief to be allowed under this Agreement in the first-mentioned State shall apply only to so much of the income or gains as is remitted to or received in that other State.

Article 25

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 which is other or 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. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 8 of Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties and other disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State provided that in such cases those conditions which are applicable to payments to non-residents with regards to withholding taxes under the domestic laws of the first-mentioned State are fulfilled.

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 Contracting 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 that first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.

5. Nothing in this Article shall be construed as obliging:

(a) a Contracting State to grant to individuals who are resident of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for tax purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents;

(b) Malaysia to grant to nationals of Ireland not resident in Malaysia those personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for tax purposes which are by law available on the date of signature of this Agreement only to nationals of Malaysia who are not resident in Malaysia.

Article 26

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 Agreement, he may, notwithstanding the remedies provided by the taxation laws of those States, present his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 of Article 25, to that of the State of which he is a national. The case must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at 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 which is not in accordance with this Agreement. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.

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 this Agreement. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in this Agreement.

4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly for the purposes of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs.

Article 27

EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Agreement or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Agreement insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. Any information so exchanged 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) involved in the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by the Agreement. 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.

2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State 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.

Article 28

MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR POSTS

Nothing in this Agreement 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.

Article 29

ENTRY INTO FORCE

1. Each of the Contracting States shall notify to the other the completion of the procedure required by its law for the bringing into force of this Agreement.

2. The Agreement shall enter into force on the date of receipt of the later of these notifications and shall thereupon have effect:

(a) in Malaysia:

(i) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to income derived on or after the first day of January in the calendar year following the year in which this Agreement enters into force;

(ii) in respect of other taxes on income, to taxes chargeable for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first day of January of the second calendar year following the year in which this Agreement enters into force.

(b) in Ireland:

(i) in respect of income tax and capital gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after the sixth day of April in the calendar year next following the calendar year in which this Agreement enters into force;

(ii) in respect of corporation tax, for any financial year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which this Agreement enters into force.

Article 30

TERMINATION

This Agreement shall remain in effect indefinitely, but either Contracting State may terminate the Agreement, through diplomatic channels, by giving to the other Contracting State written notice of termination on or before the thirtieth day of June in any calendar year after the period of five years from the date on which this Agreement enters into force. In such an event the Agreement shall cease to have effect:

(a) in Malaysia:

(i) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to income derived on or after the first day of January in the calendar year following the year in which the notice is given;

(ii) in respect of other taxes on income, to taxes chargeable for any year of assessment beginning on or after the first day of January in the second calendar year following the year in which the notice is given.

(b) in Ireland:

(i) in respect of income tax and capital gains tax, for any year of assessment beginning on or after the sixth day of April in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice is given;

(ii) in respect of corporation tax, for any financial year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice is given.

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

DONE in duplicate at Kuala Lumpur this 28th day of November, 1998, in the Malay and the English languages, the two texts being equally authentic. In the event of there being a dispute in the interpretation and the application of this Agreement, the English text shall prevail.

BRENDAN LYONS	DATO' DR ARIS BIN OTHMAN
For the Government of Ireland	For the Government of Malaysia

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Government, this 21st day of December, 1998.

BERTIE AHERN,

Taoiseach.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Order gives the force of law to the Agreement with Malaysia which is set out in the Schedule. The effect of the Agreement is summarised below.

This Agreement with Malaysia, which was signed in Kuala Lumpur on 28 November, 1998, is comprehensive in scope and is based on the OECD Model Convention.

It provides for the allocation of taxing rights between Ireland and Malaysia and for the granting of relief from double taxation with regard to items of income and capital gains which, under the laws of Ireland and the laws of Malaysia, may be taxed in both countries.

In many cases, the Agreement awards a taxation right over items of income and gains to the country of residence of the recipient only, for example, items such as business profits and gains on movable property, provided neither arises through a permanent establishment or fixed base in the country of source and profits from the operation of ships or aircraft engaged in international traffic. In other cases, such as remuneration in respect of services rendered to the Government of either country, the Agreement awards the taxation right to the state of source only.

Where both countries continue to have taxing rights, for example in the case of dividends, interest and royalty income, business profits arising through a permanent establishment which a person resident in one country has in the other country, or in the case of capital gains arising from the disposal of immovable property or shares linked with immovable property, the Agreement provides that the country of residence of the recipient of the income or gain will give credit against its tax on the income or gains for the tax paid in the other country on the same income or gains.

Reduced rates of withholding tax are provided for in the case of dividend (10%), interest (10%) and royalty (8%) payments. However, under current domestic law, neither Ireland nor Malaysia at present impose withholding taxes on dividends paid to non-residents.

The Agreement also provides for the safeguarding of nationals and enterprises of one country against discriminatory taxation in the other country, for consultation between the competent authorities of the two countries for the purpose of resolving any doubts or difficulties arising as to the interpretation or application of the Agreement and for the exchange of information between those authorities as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of the Agreement or of the domestic law of either country in relation to the taxes covered by the Agreement.