Singapore- Australia Double Tax Treaty

The treaty for the avoidance of double taxation between Singapore and Australia was first signed on 11th of February 1969. Since then, the two contracting states have signed a second protocol on the agreement on 8th of September 2009, which became effective since 22nd of December 2010. The agreement outlines the taxation system applicable to tax residents (natural persons and legal entities) in Australia and Singapore. Australian investors interested in opening a company in Singapore can benefit of the provisions of agreement; our law firm in Singapore can provide you with in-depth presentation of the double taxation treaty (DTA) signed by the two states. 

 

 

The DTA covers the income tax in Singapore and in Australia the income tax and the petroleum resource rent tax applicable to offshore businesses, a provision imposed by the Australian federal law. 

 

A company is considered a tax resident in Singapore if the company was incorporated here and the administrative and management center is set up in the city-state. A permanent establishment (PE) is defined by the agreement as a place in which a company carries its operations, and it may refer to a branch, an office, a factory, a shop,  a warehouse or a building site; a building site is considered a PE if the operations are carried out for more than 6 months within a year. Our lawyers in Singapore can offer you more information on this subject.

 

 

Australian entrepreneurs who are seeking to start a business in Singapore should know the following aspects, stipulated under the DTA: 

 

• the income arising from a real estate property in Singapore is taxed in Singapore;

• the business profits are taxed in the country in which the company is a tax resident; if the company operates in a contracting state through a PE, then the company is also eligible for taxation in the contracting state;

• interest income arising in Singapore will be taxed in Singapore and, under the provisions of the treaty, it will be taxed at the reduced rate of 10% of the gross amount of the interest.

 

As a general rule, the royalty income is taxed under the same provisions applicable to interest income; our Singaporean lawyers can provide you with further details about the taxation of royalties. 

 

If you need further information on the double taxation treaty signed by Singapore and Australia, please contact our team of lawyers.