BILATERAL TAX AGREEMENT

An arrangement between two jurisdictions that mitigates the problem of double taxation that can occur when tax laws consider an individual or company to be a resident of more than one jurisdiction. A bilateral tax agreement can improve the relations between two countries, encourage foreign investment and trade, and reduce tax evasion.

Bilateral tax agreements can deal with many issues such as taxation of different categories of income (business profits, royalties, capital gains, employment income, etc.), methods for eliminating double taxation (exemption method, credit method, etc.), and provisions such as mutual exchange of information and assistance in tax collection.