“Business connection” to include “Significant Economic presence”

“The oranges upon the trees in California are not acquired wealth until they are picked, not even at that stage until they

are packed, and not even at that stage until they are transported to the place where demand exists and until they are put where the consumer can use them. These stages, upto the point where wealth reached fruition, may be shared in by different territorial authorities.” (excerpts from a report on double taxation submitted to League of Nations in early 1920s) Accordingly, both the residence and source countries claim the right to taxation.

Taxation of business profits on the basis of economic allegiance has always been the underlying basis of existing international taxation rules. Economists gave primacy to the economic allegiance rather than physical location and made it clear that physical presence was important only to the extent it represented the economic location.

Ordinarily, as per the allocation of taxing rules under Article 7 of DTAAs, business profit of an enterprise is taxable in the country in which the taxpayer is a resident. If an enterprise carries on its business in another country through a 'Permanent Establishment' situated therin, such other country may also tax the business profits attributable to the 'Permant Establishment'. For this purpose, ‘Permanent Establishment’ means a ‘fixed place of business’ through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried out provided that the business activities are not of preparatory or auxiliary in nature and such business activities are not carried out by a dependent agent.

For a long time, nexus based on physical presence was used as a proxy to regular economic allegiance of a non-resident. However, with the advancement in information and communication technology in the last few decades, new business models operating remotely through digital medium have emerged. Under these new business models, the non-resident enterprises interact with customers in another country without having any physical presence in that country resulting in avoidance of taxation in the source country. Therefore, the existing nexus rule based on physical presence do not hold good anymore for taxation of business profits in source country. As a result, the rights of the source country to tax business profits that are derived from its economy is unfairly and unreasonably eroded.

OECD under its BEPS Action Plan 1 addressed the tax challenges in a digital economy wherein it has discussed several options to tackle the direct tax challenges arising in digital businesses. One such option is a new nexus rule based on “significant economic presence”. As per the Action Plan 1 Report, a non-resident enterprise would create a taxable presence in a country if it has a significance economic presence in that country on the basis of factors that have a purposeful and sustained interaction with the economy by the aid of technology and other automated tools. It further recommended that revenue factor may be used in combination with the aforesaid factors to determine 'significance economic presence'.

The scope of existing provisions of clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 9 is restrictive as it essentially provides for physical presence based nexus rule for taxation of business income of the non-resident in India. Explanation 2 to the said section which defines ‘business connection’ is also narrow in its scope since it limits the taxability of certain activities or transactions of non-resident to those carried out through a dependent agent. Therefore, emerging business models such as digitized businesses, which do not require physical presence of itself or any agent in India, is not covered within the scope of clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 9 of the Act.

In view of the above, it is proposed to amend clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 9 of the Act to provide that'significant economic presence' in India shall also constitute 'business connection'. Further, “significant economic presence” for this purpose, shall mean-

(i) any transaction in respect of any goods, services or property carried out by a non-resident in India including provision of download of data or software in India if the aggregate of payments arising from such transaction or transactions during the previous year exceeds the amount as may be prescribed; or

(ii) systematic and continuous soliciting of its business activities or engaging in interaction with such number of users as may be prescribed, in India through digital means.

It is further proposed to provide that only so much of income as is attributable to such transactions or activities shall be deemed to accrue or arise in India. It is further proposed to provide that the transactions or activities shall constitute significant economic presence in India, whether or not the non-resident has a residence or place of business in India or renders services in India.

The proposed amendment in the domestic law will enable India to negotiate for inclusion of the new nexus rule in the form of 'significant economic presence' in the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements. It may be clarified that the aforesaid conditions stated above are mutually exclusive. The threshold of “revenue” and the “users” in India will be decided after consultation with the stakeholders. Further, it is also clarified that unless corresponding modifications to PE rules are made in the DTAAs, the cross border business profits will continue to be taxed as per the existing treaty rules.

This amendment will take effect from 1st April, 2019 and will, accordingly, apply in relation to assessment year 2019-20 and subsequent assessment years.

[Clause 4]

Significant economic presence creates business connection for tax purposes, enabling source-country taxation of income from digital transactions. The proposal treats significant economic presence as a business connection where a non-resident carries out transactions in goods, services or property (including downloads) exceeding a prescribed revenue threshold, or systematically and continuously solicits business or interacts with a prescribed number of users in India through digital means; only income attributable to such transactions or activities shall be deemed to accrue or arise in India, irrespective of the non-resident's physical presence or residence, with thresholds to be prescribed after stakeholder consultation.