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January 12, 2022
2022-0068

Double tax treaty between Colombia and France entered into force on January 1, 2022

The treaty includes special rules for determining the existence of a permanent establishment (PE) (for services and the exploration or exploitation of natural resources), and reduced withholding tax rates for dividends, interest and royalties. Most of the provisions will apply from January 1, 2023.

On December 23, 2021, Colombia and France completed the exchange-of-letters procedure, confirming that they concluded their domestic procedures for ratifying the double tax treaty (DTT) signed by both countries (approved in Colombia by Law 2061 of 2020). The DTT entered into force on January 1, 2022; per the DTT, most of its provisions (including those that reduce income tax withholding in the State of source) will be effective as of January 1, 2023.

The DTT aims to eliminate double taxation on income without creating opportunities for non-taxation or reduced taxation through tax evasion or avoidance (including through treaty-shopping arrangements).

This Tax Alert highlights some of the rules contained in the DTT.

Tax residency

For France, the DTT will consider a partnership, group of persons, or any other similar entity a resident, if (a) it has its place of effective management in France; (b) it is subject to taxation in France; and (c) all of its quota-holders, shareholders or members, under domestic tax law, are subject to taxation in France on the profits derived from the partnership, group of persons, or other similar entity.

Permanent establishment

To determine the existence of a service PE in Colombia for a French tax resident, the computation of the 183-day period must take into account the activities developed by related companies when those activities relate to the same project for which the French tax resident provides services in Colombia.

The DTT also establishes a special PE rule for specialized activities involving the exploration and exploitation of natural resources. Under this rule, a PE is deemed to exist if the activities are carried out for a period or periods that exceed 60 days within a 12-month period, unless the activities are considered auxiliary or preparatory for purposes of the DTT.

Income from immovable property

The DTT characterizes income from immovable property as income derived from any kind of use or lease of shares, quotas or other rights in a company, trust, or other entity that grants the right to use or enjoy immovable property located in Colombia, provided the property is owned by the company, trust or entity. Income from immovable property can be taxed without limitation in the country of source.

Taxation of passive income

The DTT will limit taxation in Colombia as follows:

Type of income

Taxation at source

Beneficial owner

Dividends (i)

5%

Company, other than a partnership, that directly owns at least 20% of the capital of the distributing entity

15%

Other cases (ii)

Interest (iii)

10%

Resident of the other Contracting State

Royalties (iv)

10%

Resident of the other Contracting State

(i) The reduced dividend withholding rate in the DTT will not apply when (1) the beneficial owner of the dividends holds, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the capital of the Colombian company, (2) the beneficial owner receives dividends out of untaxed income or untaxed gains from real estate located in Colombia, and (3) the Colombian entity annually distributes the majority of the income or gains.

(ii) This includes distributions of profits or dividends out of profits that were not subject to taxation in Colombia at the level of a branch or company, respectively.

(iii) In several cases, interest may be subject to a 0% rate under the DTT.

(iv) The definition of royalties does not include technical assistance, consulting, and technical services. In the absence of a PE in Colombia, payments derived from those services generally would not be taxed in Colombia.

Capital gains on the transfer of shares

Gains derived from the transfer of shares, quotas or rights in a company will be taxed in Colombia as follows:

Taxation in Colombia

Situation

Taxed without limitation

  • Gain derived from the transfer of shares, quotas or rights in a Colombian company, trust or other entity when more than 50% of their value derives, directly or indirectly, from immovable property located in Colombia. However, properties used for the development of industrial, commercial or agricultural activities will not be considered for these purposes.
  • Gain derived from the transfer of shares or quotas when the transferor, individually or together with its related parties, directly or indirectly, has the right to receive 25% of the profits of the transferred entity. However, when the transfer results from a reorganization (such as a merger, spin-off, capital contributions or exchange of shares) that is subject to tax-deferral rules in France, the gain from the transfer will not be taxed in Colombia.

Not taxed

  • Other cases not previously mentioned

Anti-abuse rule

The DTT adopts a principal purpose test under which a taxpayer will not qualify for the DTT benefits for an item of income or capital if it is reasonable to conclude that the principal purpose of an arrangement or transaction was to obtain treaty benefits for the tax resident or a related party.

Likewise, treaty benefits will be denied when the income recipient is not the beneficial owner of the income, and the arrangement or transaction resulted in a lower tax burden for the beneficial owner than the tax burden that would have applied had the income been directly received by the beneficial owner. The treaty benefits, however, may be granted if the Tax Authorities of both contracting states conclude that granting the benefits in these circumstances would be in accordance with the purpose of the DTT, considering the specific facts and circumstances.

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Contact Information
For additional information concerning this Alert, please contact:
 
Ernst & Young S.A.S. Bogota
   • Luis Orlando Sánchez (luis.sanchez.n@co.ey.com)
   • Juan Torres Richoux (juan.s.torres@co.ey.com)
   • Andrés Millán Pineda (Andres.Millan.Pineda@co.ey.com)
   • Amalia Borja Gonzalez (amalia.borja.gonzalez@co.ey.com)
   • Isabel Rodriguez Daniels (martha.i.rodriguez.daniels@co.ey.com)
Ernst & Young, LLP, Latin America Business Center, New York
   • Zulay Andrea Arevalo (zulay.a.arevalo.garcia1@co.ey.com)
   • Ana Mingramm (ana.mingramm@ey.com)
   • Lucas Moreno (lucas.moreno@lan.ey.com)
   • Enrique Perez Grovas (enrique.perezgrovas@ey.com)
   • Pablo Wejcman (pablo.wejcman@ey.com)
   • Pablo Angel (pablo.angel@co.ey.com)
Ernst & Young LLP, French Tax Desk
   • Frederic Vallat (frederic.vallat@ey.com)
   • Mathieu Pinon (mathieu.pinon1@ey.com)
   • Marjorie Blin (marjorie.blin@ey.com)