TREASURY DEPARTMENT TECHNICAL EXPLANATION OF THE CONVENTION
BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME AND ON CAPITAL(五)
颁布时间:1980-09-26
ARTICLE XIX
Government Service
Article XIX provides that remuneration, other than a pension, paid by
a Contracting State or political subdivision or local authority thereof to
a citizen of that State in respect of services rendered in the discharge
of governmental functions shall be taxable only in that State. (Pursuant
to paragraph 5 of Article IV (Residence), other income of such a citizen
may also be exempt from tax, or subject to reduced rates of tax, in the
State in which he is performing services, in accordance with other
provisions of the Convention.) However, if the services are rendered in
connection with a trade or business, then the provisions of Article XIV
(Independent Personal Services), Article XV (Dependent Personal Services),
or Article XVI (Artistes and Athletes), as the case may be, are
controlling. Whether functions are of a governmental nature may be
determined by a comparison with the concept of a governmental function in
the State in which the income arises.
Pursuant to paragraph 3(a) of Article XXIX (Miscellaneous Rules),
Article XIX is an exception to the "saving clause." As a result, a U.S.
citizen resident in Canada and performing services in Canada in the
discharge of functions of a governmental nature for the United States is
taxable only in the United States on remuneration for such services.
This provision differs from the rules of Article VI of the 1942
Convention. For example,Article XIX allows the United States to impose tax
on a person other than a citizen of Canada who earns remuneration paid by
Canada in respect of services rendered in the discharge of governmental
functions in the United States. (Such a person may, however, be entitled
to an exemption from U.S. tax as provided in Code section 893.) Also,
under the provisions of Article XIX Canada will not impose tax on amounts
paid by the United States in respect of services rendered in the discharge
of governmental functions to a U.S. citizen who is ordinarily resident in
Canada for purposes other than rendering governmental services. Under
paragraph 1 of Article VI of the 1942 Convention, such amounts would be
taxable by Canada.
ARTICLE XX
Students
Article XX provides that a student, apprentice, or business trainee
temporarily present in a Contracting State for the purpose of his
full-time education or training is exempt from tax in that State with
respect to amounts received from outside that State for the purpose of his
maintenance, education, or training, if the individual is or was a
resident of the other Contracting State immediately before visiting the
first-mentioned State. There is no limitation on the number of years or
the amount of income to which the exemption applies.
The Convention does not contain provisions relating specifically to
professors and teachers. Teachers are treated under the Convention
pursuant to the rules established in Articles XIV (Independent Personal
Services) and XV (Dependent Personal Services), in the same manner as
other persons performing services. In Article VIII A of the 1942
Convention there is a 2-year exemption in the Contracting State of source
in the case of a professor or teacher who is a resident of the other
Contracting State.
ARTICLE XXI
Exempt Organizations
Paragraph 1 provides that a religious, scientific, literary,
educational, or charitable organization resident in a Contracting State
shall be exempt from tax on income arising in the other Contracting State
but only to the extent that such income is exempt from taxation in the
Contracting State in which the organization is resident. Since this
paragraph, and the remainder of Article XXI, deal with entities that are
not normally taxable, the test of "resident in" is intended to be similar
- but cannot be identical - to the one outlined in paragraph 1 of Article
IV (Residence).
Paragraph 3 provides that paragraph 1 does not exempt from tax, income
of a trust, company, or other organization from carrying on a trade or
business, or income from a "related person" other than a person referred
to in paragraph 1 or 2.
Paragraph 2 provides that a trust, company, or other organization that
is resident in a Contracting State constituted and operated exclusively to
administer or provide employee benefits or benefits for the self-employed
under one or more funds or plans established to provide pension or
retirement benefits or other employee benefits is exempt from taxation on
dividend and interest income arising in the other Contracting State in a
taxable year, if the income of such, organization is generally exempt from
taxation for that year in the Contracting State in which it is resident.
In addition, a trust, company, or other organization resident in a
Contracting State and not taxed in a taxable year in that State shall be
exempt from taxation in the other State in that year on dividend and
interest income arising in that other State if it is constituted and
operated exclusively to earn,income for the benefit of an organization
described in the preceding sentence. Pursuant to
paragraph 3 the exemption at source provided by paragraph 2 does not
apply to dividends or interest from carrying on trade or business or from
a "related person," other than a person referred to in paragraph 1 or 2.
The term "related person" is not necessarily defined by paragraph 2 of
Article IX (Related Persons).
Paragraph 4 provides an exemption from U.S. excise taxes on private
foundations in the case of a religious, scientific, literary, educational,
or charitable organization which is resident in Canada but only if such
organization has received substantially all of its support from persons
other than citizens or residents of the United States.
Paragraph 5 provides that contributions by a citizen or resident of
the United States to an organization which is resident in Canada and is
generally exempt from Canadian tax are treated as charitable
contributions, but only if the organization could qualify in the United
States to receive deductible contributions if it were resident in (i.e.,
organized in) the United States. Paragraph 5 generally limits the amount
of contributions made deductible by the Convention to the income of the
U.S. citizen or resident arising in Canada, as determined under the
Convention. In the case of contributions to a college or university at
which the U.S. citizen or resident or a member of his family is or was
enrolled, the special limitation to income arising in Canada is not
required. The percentage limitations of Code section 170 in respect of the
deductibility of charitable contributions apply after the limitations
established by the Convention. Any amounts treated as charitable
contributions by paragraph 5 which are in excess of amounts deductible in
a taxable year pursuant to paragraph 5 may be carried over and deducted in
subsequent taxable years, subject to the limitations of paragraph 5.
Paragraph 6 provides rules for purposes of Canadian taxation with
respect to the deductibility of gifts to a U.S. resident organization by a
resident of Canada. The rules of paragraph 6 parallel the rules of
paragraph 5. The current limitations in Canadian law provide that
deductions for gifts to charitable organizations may not exceed 20 percent
of income. Excess deductions may be carried forward for one year.
The term "family" used in paragraphs 5 and 6 is defined in paragraph 2
of the Exchange of Notes accompanying the Convention to mean an
individual's brothers and sisters (whether by whole or half-blood, or by
adoption), spouse, ancestors, lineal descendants, and adopted descendants.
Paragraph 2 of the Exchange of Notes also provides that the competent
authorities of Canada and the United States will review procedures and
requirements for organizations to establish their exempt status under
paragraph 1 of Article XXI or as an eligible recipient of charitable
contributions or gifts under paragraphs 5 and 6 of Article XXI. It is
contemplated that such review will lead to the avoidance of duplicative
administrative efforts in determining such status and eligibility.
The provisions of paragraph 5 and 6 generally parallel the rules of
Article XIII D of the 1942 Convention. However, paragraphs 5 and 6 permit
greater deductions for certain contributions to colleges and universities
than do the provisions of the 1942 Convention.
ARTICLE XXII
Other Income
Paragraph 1 provides that a Contracting State of which a person is a
resident has the sole right to tax items of income, wherever arising, if
such income is not dealt with in the prior Articles of the Convention. If
such income arises in the other Contracting State, however, it may also be
taxed in that State. The determination of where income arises for this
purpose is made under the domestic laws of the respective Contracting
States unless the Convention specifies where the income arises (e.g.,
paragraph 6 of Article XI (Interest)) for purposes of determining the
right to tax, in which case the provisions of the Convention control.
Paragraph 2 provides that to the extent that income distributed by an
estate or trust resident in one Contracting State is deemed under the
domestic law of that State to be a separate type of income "arising"
within that State, such income distributed to a beneficiary resident in
the other Contracting State may be taxed in the State of source at a
maximum rate of 15 percent of the gross amount of such distribution. Such
a distribution will, however, be exempt from tax in the State of source to
the extent that the income distributed by the estate or trust was derived
by the estate or trust from sources outside that State. Thus, in a case
where the law of Canada treats a distribution made by a trust resident in
Canada as a separate type of income arising in Canada, Canadian tax is
limited by paragraph 2 to 15 percent of the gross amount distributed to a
U.S.resident beneficiary. Although the Code imposes tax on certain
domestic trusts (e.g.,accumulation trusts) and such trusts are residents
of the United States for purposes of Article IV (Residence) and paragraph
2 of Article XXII, paragraph 2 does not apply to distributions by such
trusts because, pursuant to Code sections 667(e) and 662(b), these
distributions have the same character in the hands of a nonresident
beneficiary as they do in the hands of the trust. Thus, a distribution by
a domestic accumulation trust is not a separate type of income for U.S.
purposes.
The taxation of such a distribution in the United States is governed
by the distribution's character, the provisions of the Code and the
provisions of the Convention other than the provision in paragraph 2
limiting the tax at source to 15 percent.
ARTICLE XXIII
Capital
Although neither Canada nor the United States currently has national
taxes on capital,Article XXIII provides rules for the eventuality that
such taxes might be enacted in the future.
Paragraph 1 provides that capital represented by real property (as
defined in paragraph 2 of Article VI (Income From Real Property)) owned by
a resident of a Contracting State and situated in the other Contracting
State may be taxed in that other State.
Paragraph 2 provides that capital represented by either personal
property forming part of the business property of a permanent
establishment or personal property pertaining to a fixed base in a
Contracting State may be taxed in that State.
Paragraph 3 provides that capital represented by ships and aircraft
operated by a resident of a Contracting State in international traffic and
by personal property pertaining to the operation of such ships and
aircraft are taxable only in the Contracting State of residence.
Paragraph 4 provides that all elements of capital other than those
covered by paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 are taxable only in the Contracting
State of residence. Thus, capital represented by motor vehicles or railway
cars, not pertaining to a permanent establishment or fixed base in a
Contracting State, would be taxable only in the Contracting State of which
the taxpayer is a resident.
ARTICLE XXIV
Elimination of Double Taxation
Paragraph 1 provides the general rules that will apply under the
Convention with respect to foreign tax credits for Canadian taxes paid or
accrued. The United States undertakes to allow to a citizen or resident of
the United States, or to a company electing under Code section 1504(d) to
be treated as a domestic corporation, a credit against the Federal income
taxes imposed by the Code for the appropriate amount of income tax paid or
accrued to Canada. In the case of a company which is a resident of the
United States owning 10 percent or more of the voting stock of a company
which is a resident of Canada (which for this purpose does not include a
company electing under Code section 1504(d) to be treated as a domestic
corporation), and from which it receives dividends in a taxable year, the
United States shall allow as a credit against income taxes
imposed by the Code the appropriate amount of income tax paid or accrued
to Canada by the Canadian company with respect to the profits out of which
such company paid the dividends.
The direct and deemed-paid credits allowed by paragraph 1 are subject
to the limitations of the Code as they may be amended from time to time
without changing the general principle of paragraph 1. Thus, as is
generally the case under U.S. income tax conventions, provisions such as
Code sections 901(c), 904, 905, 907, 908, and 911 apply for purposes of
computing the allowable credit under paragraph 1. In addition, the United
States is not required to maintain the overall limitation currently
provided by U.S. law.
The term "income tax paid or accrued" is defined in paragraph 7 of
Article XXIV to include certain specified taxes which are paid or accrued.
The Convention only provides a credit for amounts paid or accrued. The
determination of whether an amount is paid or accrued is made under the
Code. Paragraph 1 provides a credit for these specified taxes whether or
not they qualify as creditable under Code section 901 or 903. A taxpayer
who claims credit under the Convention for Canadian taxes made creditable
solely by paragraph 1 is not, as a result of the Protocol, subject to a
per-country limitation with respect to Canadian taxes. Thus, credit for
such Canadian taxes would be computed under the overall limitation
currently provided by U.S. law. (However, see the discussion below of the
source rules of paragraphs 3 and 9 for a restriction on the use of third
country taxes to offset the U.S. tax imposed on resourced income.)
A taxpayer claiming credits for Canadian taxes under the Convention must
apply the source rules of the Convention, and must apply those source
rules in their entirety. Similarly, a taxpayer claiming credit for
Canadian taxes which are creditable under the Code and who wishes to use
the source rules of the Convention in computing that credit must apply the
source rules of the Convention in their entirety.
Paragraph 3 provides source rules for purposes of applying Article
XXIV. Profits, income or gains of a resident of a Contracting State which
may be taxed in the other Contracting State in accordance with the
Convention, for reasons other than the saving clause of paragraph 2 of
Article XXIX (Miscellaneous Rules) (e.g., pensions and annuities taxable
where arising pursuant to Article XVIII (Pensions and Annuities)), are
deemed to arise in the latter State. This rule does not, however, apply to
gains taxable under paragraph 5 of Article XIII (Gains) (i.e., gains taxed
by a Contracting State derived from the alienation of property by a former
resident of that State).
Gains from such an alienation arise, pursuant to paragraph 3(b), in
the State of which the alienator is a resident. Thus, if in accordance
with paragraph 5 of Article XIII, Canada imposes tax on certain gains of a
U.S. resident such gains are deemed, pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3(b) of
Article XXIV, to arise in the United States for purposes of computing the
deduction against Canadian tax for the U.S. tax on such gain. Under the
Convention such gains arise in the United States for purposes of the
United States foreign tax credit. Paragraph 3(b) also provides that
profits, income, or gains arise in the Contracting State of which a person
is a resident if they may not be taxed in the other Contracting State
under the provisions of the Convention (e.g., alimony), other than the
"saving clause" of paragraph 2 of Article XXIX.
Paragraph 9 provides clarification that the source rules of this
Article shall not be used to determine the credit available against U.S.
tax for foreign taxes other than income taxes paid or accrued to Canada
(i.e., taxes of third countries). Thus, creditable third country taxes may
not offset the U.S. tax on income treated as arising in Canada under the
source rules of the Convention. A person claiming credit for income taxes
of a third country may not rely upon the rules of paragraphs 3 and 6 for
purposes of treating income that would otherwise have a U.S. source as
having a foreign source. Thus, if the taxpayer elects to compute the
foreign tax credit for any year using the special source rules set forth
in paragraphs 3 and 6, paragraph 9 requires that a separate limitation be
computed for taxes not covered by paragraph 1 without regard to the source
rules of paragraphs 3 and 6, and the credit for such taxes may not exceed
such limitation.
The credit allowed under this separate limitation may not exceed the
proportion of the Federal income taxes imposed by the Code that the
taxpayer's taxable income from foreign sources (under the Code) not
included in taxable income arising in Canada (and not in excess of total
foreign source taxable income under the Code) bears to the taxpayer's
worldwide taxable income. In any case the credit for taxes covered by
paragraph 1 and the credit for other foreign taxes is limited to the
amount allowed under overall limitation computed by aggregating taxable
income arising in Canada and other foreign source taxable income.
If creditable Canadian taxes exceed the proportion of U.S. tax that
taxable income arising in Canada bears to the entire taxable income, such
taxes may qualify to be absorbed by any excess in the separate limitation
computed with respect to other taxes.
In a case where a taxpayer has different types of income subject to
separate limitations under the Code (e.g., section 904(d)(l)(B) DISC
dividends) the Convention rules just described apply in the context of
each of the separate Code limitations.
A taxpayer may, for any year, claim a credit pursuant to the rules of
the Code. In such case, the taxpayer would be subject to the limitations
established in the Code, and would forego the rules of the Convention that
determine where taxable income arises. In addition, any Canadian taxes
covered by paragraph 1 which are not creditable under the Code would not
be credited.
Thus, where a taxpayer elects to use the special source rules of this
Article to compute the foreign tax credit for any year, the following
computations must be made:
Step 1(a): Compute a hypothetical foreign tax credit limitation for
Canadian income and taxes using the source rules of the Convention.
Step 1(b): Compute a hypothetical foreign tax credit limitation for
third country income and taxes using the source rules of the Code.
Step 1(c): Compute an overall foreign tax credit limitation using the
source rules of the Convention to the extent they resource Canadian source
income as U.S.source income or U.S. source income as Canadian source
income, and using the source rules of the Code with respect to any other
income.
Step 2: Allocate the amount of creditable Canadian taxes to the amount
of the limitation computed under step 1(a), and allocate the amount of
creditable third country taxes to the amount of the limitation computed
under step 1(b). The amount of credit to be so allocated may not exceed
the amount of the respective limitation.
Step 3:
(1) If the total credits allocated under step 2 exceed the amount of
the limitation computed under step 1(c), the amount of allowable credits
must be reduced to that limitation (see Rev. Rule. 82-215, 1982-2 C.B. 153
for the method of such reduction).
(2) If the total credits allocated under step 2 are less than the
amount of the limitation computed under step 1(c), then
(a) any amount of creditable Canadian taxes in excess of the amount of
the step 1(a)limitation may be credited to the extent of the excess of the
step 1(c) limitation over the total step 2 allocation, and
(b) any amount of third country taxes in excess of the amount of the
step 1(b) limitation may not be credited.
The following examples (in which the taxpayer's U.S. tax rate is
presumed to be 46%)illustrate the application of the source rules of
Article XXIV:
Example 1.
(a) A U.S. corporate taxpayer has for the taxable year $100 of taxable
income having a U.S. source under both the Convention and the Code; $100
of taxable income having a Canadian source under both the Convention and
the Code; $50 of taxable income having a Canadian source under the
Convention but a U.S. source under the Code (see, for example, paragraph 1
of Article VII (Business Profits) and paragraph 3(a) of Article XXIV); and
$80 of taxable income having a foreign (non-Canadian) source under the
Code. The taxpayer pays $75 of Canadian income taxes and $45 of third
country income taxes. All the foreign source income of the taxpayer
constitutes "other" income described in Code section 904(d)(l)(C).
The source rule of the Convention are applied as follows to compute
the taxpayer's foreign tax credit:
Step 1(a): $150 (Canadian source taxable income under convention)
$330 (total taxable income)x $151.80 = $69 limit for Canadian taxes.
Step 1(b): $ 80 (third country source taxable income under Code)
$330 (total taxable income)x $151.80 = $36.80 limit for third country
taxes.
Step 1(c): $230 (overall foreign taxable income under source rules
described above) $330 (total taxable income) x $151.80 = $105.80 total
limit.
Step 2: The taxpayer may tentatively credit $69 of the $75 Canadian
income taxes under the step 1(a) limitation, and $36.80 of the third
country income taxes under the step 1(b) limitation. Step 3: Since the
total amount of taxes credited under step 2 equals the taxpayer's total
limitation of $105.80 under step 1(c), no additional taxes may be
credited. The taxpayer has a $6 Canadian income tax carryover and a $8.20
third country income tax carryover for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes.
(b) If the taxpayer had paid only $30 of third country taxes, he would
credit that $30 in step 2. Since the total amount of credits allowed
under step 2 ($99) is less than the taxpayer's total limit of $105.80,
and since the taxpayer has $6 of excess Canadian taxes not credited under
step 2, he may also claim a credit for that $6 of Canadian income taxes,
for a total credit of $105.
(c) If the taxpayer had paid $45 of third country income taxes and $65
of Canadian income taxes, the computation would be as follows:
Step 2: The taxpayer would credit the $65 of Canadian income taxes,
and would also credit $36.80 of the $45 of third country income taxes.
Step 3: Although the total amount of credits computed under step 2
($101.80) is less than the taxpayer's total limitation of $105.80, no
additional credits can be claimed since the taxpayer has only excess third
country income taxes. The excess third country income taxes are thus not
permitted to offset U.S. tax on income that is Canadian source income
under the Convention. The taxpayer would have $8.20 of third country
income taxes as a carryover for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes.
Example 2. A United States corporate taxpayer has for the taxable year
$100 of taxable income having a Canadian source under the Convention but a
U.S. source under the Code; $100 of taxable income having a U.S. source
under both the Convention and the Code; $80 of taxable income having a
foreign (non-Canadian) source under the Code; and ($50) of loss allocated
or apportioned to Canadian source income. The taxpayer pays $50 of foreign
(non-Canadian) income taxes, and $20 of Canadian income taxes.
The source rules of the Convention are applied as follows to compute
the taxpayer's foreign tax credit:
Step 1(a): $ 50 (Canadian source taxable income under Contention)
$230 (total taxable income) x $105.80 = $23 limit for Canadian taxes.
Step 1(b): $ 80 (third country source taxable income under Code)
$230 (total taxable income) x $105.80 = $36.80 limit for third country
taxes.
Step 1(c): $130 (overall foreign taxable income under source rules
described above) $230 (total taxable income) x $105.80 = $59.80 total
limit.
Step 2: Since the taxpayer paid $20 of Canadian income taxes, he may
credit that amount in full since the step 1(a) limit is $23. Since the
step 1(b) limit is $36.80, the taxpayer may credit $36.80 of the $50
foreign income taxes paid.
Step 3: Although the total taxes credited under step 2 ($56.80) is
less than the taxpayer's total limit of $59.80, no additional credits may
be claimed since the only excess taxes are third country income taxes, and
those may not be used to offset any excess limitation in step 3. The
$13.20 of foreign taxes not allowed as a credit is available as a foreign
tax credit carryover.
Example 3: The facts are the same as in Example 2, except that foreign
(non-Canadian)operations result in a loss of ($30) rather than taxable
income of $80, and no foreign (non-Canadian) income taxes are paid. The
taxpayer's credit is computed as follows:
Step 1(a): $ 50 x $55.20 = $23 limit for Canadian taxes.
$120
Step 1(b): Since there is no third country source taxable income under
the Code, the limit for third country income taxes is zero.
Step 1(c): $ 20 x $55.20 = $9.20 total limit. $120
Step 2: Since the taxpayer paid $20 of Canadian income tax, he may
tentatively credit that amount in full since the step 1(a) limit is $23.
Step 3: Since the total taxes credited under step 2 ($20) exceeds the
taxpayer's total limit of $9.20, the taxpayer must reduce the total amount
claimed as a credit of $9.20. The remaining $10.80 of Canadian income
taxes are available as a foreign tax credit carryover.
Example 4. The facts are the same as in Example 2, except that the
first $100 of taxable income mentioned in Example 2 has a Canadian source
under both the Convention and the Code.
Step 1(a): $ 50 x $105.80 = $23 limit for Canadian taxes.
$120
Step 1(b): $ 80 x $105.80 = $36.80 limit for third country income taxes.$120
Step 1(c): $130 x $105.80 = $59.80 total limit.
$230
Step 2: The taxpayer credits the $20 of Canadian income tax and $36.80
of third country income tax.
Step 3: As explained in Example 2, the taxpayer's total credit is
limited to $56.80. In this case, however, if the Canadian taxes covered by
the Convention are creditable under the Code, the taxpayer could elect the
Code limitation of $59.80 ($130 x $105.80),$230 which is more advantageous
than the Convention limitation because that limitation does not permit
third country income taxes to be credited against the U.S. tax on income
arising in Canada under the Convention.
Example 5. The facts are the same as in Example 2, except that the
corporation pays $25 of Canadian income taxes and $12 of foreign
(non-Canadian) income taxes. Under step 2, the taxpayer would credit $23
of the $25 of Canadian income taxes and the full $12 of third country
income taxes. Since the total amount of income taxes credited under step 2
is $35, which is less than the taxpayer's total limit of $59.80,
the taxpayer may credit an amount of Canadian income taxes up to the
$24.80 excess. Here, the taxpayer may claim a credit for the additional $2
of Canadian income taxes not credited under step 2, and has a total credit
of $37.