24/10/22

INTERNATIONAL TAX: Jamaica and UAE sign double taxation agreement.

As published on caribbeannationalweekly.com, Sunday 23 October, 2022.

The governments of Jamaica and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have signed an agreement to avoid double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.

The agreement was signed on Thursday by Minister of Finance Dr. Nigel Clarke and Ambassador of the UAE to Jamaica, Bader Abdullah Saeed Almatrooshi.

“We hope that the signing of this agreement will be a signal to investors in Jamaica and investors in the United Arab Emirates that the vision we have for a shared future between the UAE and Jamaica is one of friendship and prosperity, trade, economic relations, and investment,” Clarke said.

The objectives of the agreement are to provide full protection to taxpayers against double taxation and to allow for the free flow of international trade or cross-border transactions and investments, as well as the transfer of technology

The perceived benefits include the clarification of the taxing rights of each state, avoidance of double international juridical taxation, and the prevention of fiscal evasion with anti-avoidance provisions.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, noted that bringing this agreement to fruition has been the result of deep interest, close dialogue, and coordination.

She also noted that the agreement provides a backdrop to, and a snapshot of the future of business and investment relations that “we aim to foster between both countries.”

“The prevention or elimination of internal double taxation in respect of the same income, exchange of goods and services, and the movement of capital and persons constitute a significant component in our bilateral investment outlook,” Johnson Smith said.

The ambassador thanked Jamaica for its support, arguing that this signing is an especially important agreement between the two countries and that, with this agreement, the possibilities are endless.

Jamaica currently has double taxation agreements with 15 other countries – Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Jamaica is also a party to the CARICOM Multilateral Agreement and has Tax Information and Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) with most of the Nordic countries, including Denmark, Norway, Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, and Iceland.

There are also TIEAs with Brazil and Macau.