TMI BlogAgreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Samoa for the exchange of Information with respect to taxesX X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... , in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 90 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961) , the Central Government hereby notifies that all the provisions of the said Agreement, as annexed hereto, shall be given effect to in the Union of India. ANNEXURE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA AND GOVERNMENT OF SAMOA FOR THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES The Government of the Republic of India and the Government of Samoa desiring to facilitate the exchange of information with respect to taxes have agreed as follows: Article 1 Object and Scope of the Agreement The competent authorities of the Contracting Parties shall provide assistance through exchange of information that is foreseeably relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws of the Contracting Parties concerning taxes covered by this Agreement. Such information shall include information that is foreseeably relevant to the determination, assessment and collection of such taxes, the recovery and enforcement of tax claims, or the investigation or prosecution of tax matters. Information sh ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... India, or its authorized representative; ii) in the case of Samoa, the Minister for Revenue or an authorised representative of the Minister for Revenue; e) the term person includes an individual, a company, a body of persons and any other entity which is treated as a taxable unit under the taxation laws in force in the respective Contracting Parties; f) the term company means any body corporate or any entity that is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes; g) the term publicly traded company means any company whose principal class of shares is listed on a recognised stock exchange provided its listed shares can be readily purchased or sold by the public. Shares can be purchased or sold by the public if the purchase or sale of shares is not implicitly or explicitly restricted to a limited group of investors; h) the term principal class of shares means the class or classes of shares representing a majority of the voting power and value of the company; i) the term recognised stock exchange means - i) the National Stock Exchange, the Bombay Stock Exchange, and any other stock exchange recognised by the Securities and Exchange Board of India; ii ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ted Party is not sufficient to enable it to comply with the request for information, that Party shall use all relevant information gathering measures to provide the requesting Party with the information requested, notwithstanding that the requested Party may not need such information for its own tax purposes. 3. If specifically requested by the competent authority of the requesting Party, the competent authority of the requested Party shall provide information under this Article, to the extent allowable under its domestic laws, in the form of depositions of witnesses and authenticated copies of original records. 4. Each Contracting Party shall ensure that its competent authority, for the purposes of this Agreement, has the authority to obtain and provide upon request: a) information held by banks, other financial institutions, and any person, including nominees and trustees, acting in an agency or fiduciary capacity; b) information regarding the legal and beneficial ownership of companies, partnerships, collective investment funds or schemes, trusts, foundations, Anstalten and other persons, including, within the constraints of Article 2, ownership information on all ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... sure a prompt response, the competent authority of the requested Party shall: (a) Confirm receipt of a request in writing to the competent authority of the requesting Party and shall notify the competent authority of the requesting Party of deficiencies in the request, if any, within 60 days of the receipt of the request. (b) If the competent authority of the requested Party has been unable to obtain and provide the information within 90 days of receipt of the request, including if it encounters obstacles in furnishing the information or it refuses to furnish the information, it shall immediately inform the requesting Party, explaining the reason for its inability, the nature of the obstacles or the reasons for its refusal. Article 6 Tax Examinations Abroad 1. At the request of the competent authority of the requesting Party, the requested Party may allow representatives of the competent authority of the requesting Party to enter the territory of the requested Party, to the extent permitted under its domestic laws, to interview individuals and examine records with the prior written consent of the individuals or other persons concerned. The competent authority of ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ng Party under paragraph 4 of Article 5. 3. A request for information shall not be refused on the ground that the tax claim giving rise to the request is disputed. 4. The requested Party shall not be required to obtain and provide information which the requesting Party would be unable to obtain in similar circumstances under its own laws for the purpose of the administration or enforcement of its own tax laws or in response to a valid request from the requested Party under this Agreement. 5. The requested Party shall not decline to provide information solely because the request does not include all the information required under Article 5 if the information can otherwise be provided according to the law of the requested Party. Article 8 Confidentiality Any information received by a Contracting Party under this Agreement shall be treated as confidential and may be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) in the jurisdiction of the Contracting Party concerned with the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by this Ag ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ion, the competent authorities of the Contracting Parties may mutually agree on the procedures to be used under Articles 5, 6 and 9 of this Agreement. 2. The competent authorities of the Contracting Parties may communicate with each other directly for purposes of reaching agreement under this Article. Article 12 Entry into Force 1. The Contracting Parties shall notify each other in writing, through diplomatic channels, of the completion of the procedures required by the respective laws for the entry into force of this Agreement. 2. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the later of the notifications referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article and shall thereupon have effect forthwith. Article 13 Termination 1. This Agreement shall remain in force until terminated by either Contracting Party. 2. Either Contracting Party may, after the expiry of five years from the date of its entry into force, terminate the Agreement by serving a written notice of termination to the other Contracting Party through diplomatic channels. 3. Such termination shall become effective on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of si ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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