Article 11 - Interest - Norway

ARTICLE 11 INTEREST 1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State. 2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises, and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest. 3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, any such interest referred to in paragraph 1 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the recipient is a resident, if such resident is the beneficial owner of the interest and if such interest is paid to the Government of a Contracting State, or a political sub-division or a local authority thereof: (a) In the case of Norway, the term Government encompasses: (i) the Central Bank of Norway; (ii) the Government Pension Fund; (iii) the Norwegian Guarantee Institute for Export Credits; (iv) Nor fund, to the extent they are wholly owned and controlled by the Government of Norway. (b) In the case of India, the term Government encompasses: (i) the Reserve Bank of India; (ii) the Export-Import Bank of India and the National Housing Bank to the extent they are wholly owned and controlled by the Government of India or the Reserve Bank of India. (c) to any other institution as may be agreed upon from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States through exchange of letters. 4. The term interest as used in this Article means income from debt claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures, as well as income assimilated to income from money lent by the taxation law of the Contracting State in which the income arises. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article. 5. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting 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 debt claims in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply. 6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated. 7. 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 Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Agreement.