Separately, Section 246 provides certain exemptions from the general obligation to withhold tax. Section 246 provides an exemption in respect of interest payments made by a company in the ordinary course of business carried on by it to a company:
(a)
| which, by virtue of the law of a Relevant Territory, is resident in the Relevant Territory for the purposes of tax, and that Relevant Territory imposes a tax that generally applies to interest receivable in that Relevant Territory by companies from sources outside that Relevant Territory; or |
(i)
| is exempted from the charge to income tax under arrangements made with the government of a territory outside Ireland having the force of law under procedures set out in section 826(1) of the Taxes Act; or |
(ii)
| would be exempted from the charge to income tax if arrangements made, on or before the date of payment of the interest with the government of a territory outside Ireland that do not have force of law under procedures set out in section 826(1) of the Taxes Act, had the force of law when the interest was paid, |
except in each case at (a) or (b) where the interest is paid to the company in connection with a trade or business carried on in Ireland by that company through a branch or agency.
For this purpose, “Relevant Territory” means:
(a)
| a Member State of the European Union other than Ireland; |
(b)
| not being such a Member State, a territory with which Ireland has a signed a double taxation agreement that is in effect; or |
(c)
| a territory with the government of which such arrangements have been made which on completion of the procedures set out in section 826(1) of the Taxes Act will have the force of law. |
Ireland has entered into a double taxation treaty with each of Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana (signed but not yet in effect), Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya (signed but not yet in effect), Korea (Rep. of), Kuwait, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein (signed but not yet in effect), Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zambia.
In the event that none of the above exemptions apply, the requirement to operate Irish withholding tax on interest may be obviated or reduced if clearance in the prescribed format has been received under the terms of a double taxation agreement in effect at that time.
Encashment Tax
Even if the Notes qualify for exemption from withholding tax on interest as a Quoted Eurobond, the interest on the Notes realized or collected by an agent in Ireland on behalf of any holder will generally be subject to a withholding at a prescribed rate of 25% This is unless the beneficial owner of the Notes that is entitled to the interest is not resident in Ireland and makes a declaration in the required form and provided that such interest is not for the purposes of Irish tax deemed, under the provisions of Irish tax legislation, to be the income of another person that is resident in Ireland. Separately, an exemption applies where the payment is made to a company where that company is beneficially entitled to that income and is or will be within the charge to corporation tax in respect of that income.
Income Tax
In general, persons who are resident in Ireland are liable to Irish taxation on their worldwide income whereas persons who are not resident in Ireland (and who do not carry on a trade in Ireland through a branch or agency) are only liable to Irish taxation on their Irish source income. All persons are under a statutory obligation to account for Irish tax on a self-assessment basis and there is no requirement for the Revenue Commissioners to issue or raise an assessment.