Article 12 Interest

     1. Interest arising in one of the States and beneficially owned by a resident of the other State shall be taxable only in that other State.
     2. The term "interest" as used in this Convention means income from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, and 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, and an excess inclusion with respect to a residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit, as well as other income that is treated as income from money lent by the taxation law of the State in which the income arises. The term does not include income dealt with in Article 10 (Dividends). Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Convention.
     3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of one of the States, carries on business in the other 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 interest paid is attributable to such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 (Business Profits) or Article 15 (Independent Personal Services), as the case may be, shall apply.
     4. Interest shall be deemed to arise in one of the States when the payer is that State itself, or 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 one of the States or not, has in one of the States a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, or has income otherwise subject to the tax described in Article 11 (Branch Tax), and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base or is allocable to the income subject to the tax described in Article 11 (Branch Tax), then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated or in which the income is subject to the tax described in Article 11 (Branch Tax).
     5. 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, 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 State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
     6. A State may not impose any tax on interest paid by a resident of the other State, except insofar as
a) the interest is paid to a resident of the first- mentioned State;
b) the interest is attributable to a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in the first-mentioned State; or
c) the interest arises in the first-mentioned State and is not paid to a resident of the other State.
     Where the payer of the interest is a resident of one of the States and has a permanent establishment in the other State or has income otherwise subject to the tax described in Article 11 (Branch Tax), then to the extent the amount of the interest arising in such other State by reason of the permanent establishment or by reason of income subject to the tax described in Article 11 (Branch Tax) exceeds the total amount of interest paid by such permanent establishment or in connection with income otherwise subject to the tax described in Article 11 (Branch Tax), such excess amount shall be treated as interest derived and beneficially owned by a resident of the first- mentioned State.
     7. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to an excess inclusion with respect to a residual interest in a real estate mortgage investment conduit.
     8. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, interest arising in one of the States and beneficially owned by an enterprise of the other State and attributable to a permanent establishment of that enterprise in a third jurisdiction, may also be taxed in the first- mentioned State if the profits of that permanent establishment are subject to an aggregate rate of tax, in the other State and the third jurisdiction in which the permanent establishment is situated, that is, in the case of interest arising in the first-mentioned State and beneficially owned by an enterprise of the other State before January 1, 1998, less than 50 percent of the general rate of company tax applicable in the other State, and in the case of interest arising in the first-mentioned State and beneficially owned by an enterprise of the other State on or after January 1, 1998, less than 60 percent of the general rate of company tax applicable in the other State, but the tax so charged shall not exceed 15 percent of the gross amount of such interest.
     However, the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to interest derived in connection with or incidental to the active conduct of a trade or business carried on by the permanent establishment in the third jurisdiction (other than the business of making or managing investments, unless these activities are banking or insurance activities carried on by a bank or insurance company).