ISSN 1328â8091 Parliament of Australia Department of Parliamentary Services BILLS DIGEST NO. 56, 2010-11 6 December 2010 International Tax Agreements Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2010 This is a new edition of a Bills Digest previously prepared for the 42nd Parliament. Morag Donaldson Law and Bills Digest Section Contents Purpose ............................................................................................................................................... 2 Background ......................................................................................................................................... 2 Article 19 of the Singapore Agreement: the exchange of information .............................................. 3 Committee consideration ................................................................................................................... 5 Financial implications ......................................................................................................................... 5 Key provisions ..................................................................................................................................... 5 2 International Tax Agreements Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2010 International Tax Agreements Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2010 Date introduced: 29 September 2010 House: House of Representatives Portfolio: Treasury Commencement: Links: The links to the Bill, its Explanatory Memorandum and second reading speech can be found on the Bills home page, or through http://www.aph.gov.au/bills/. When bills have been passed they can be found at the ComLaw website, which is at http://www.comlaw.gov.au/. This Bill lapsed on the proroguing of Parliament in July 2010. It has been reâintroduced without any significant changes. Purpose The Bill amends the International Tax Agreements Act 1953 (the Agreements Act) to give domestic legal effect to the ‘second Singapore protocol’. That protocol was signed on 8 September 2009 and amends the existing tax treaty between Australia and Singapore. Background On 11 February 1969, the Governments of Australia and the Republic of Singapore (the contracting states) entered into an agreement for ‘the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income’ (the Singapore Agreement).1 The text of the agreement is set out in Schedule 5 to the Agreements Act.2 Like the other double tax agreements Australia has made with other nations, the Singapore Agreement is intended to avoid the situation where a taxpayer (who resides in Australia and/or the
Date: 06/12/2010 - Collection: Bills and Legislation - ID: legislation/billsdgs/412639 - Source: Bills Digest Service - Author: DONALDSON, Morag