Skip to main content

Double Taxation Agreements

Double Taxation Agreements

Double taxation is a tax principle referring to income taxes paid twice on the same source of income. It can occurs when income is taxed at both the corporate level and personal level; and in international trade or investment when the same income is taxed in two different countries. It mainly occurs because corporations are considered separate legal entities from their shareholders. As such, corporations pay taxes on their annual earnings, just like individuals. When corporations pay out dividends to shareholders, those dividend payments incur income-tax liabilities for the shareholders who receive them, even though the earnings that provided the cash to pay the dividends were already taxed at the corporate level

Double taxation is often an unintended consequence of tax legislation. It is generally seen as a negative element of a tax system, and tax authorities attempt to avoid it whenever possible. A key method authorities use to address double taxation problem is through Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs). DTAs are international agreements between two countries to allocate taxing rights between the two countries that have negotiated the particular DTA. The purpose a DTA is to help the two countries to avoid double taxation. Kenya mainly uses DTAs to avoid double taxation at international level.

No. Flag Country Status Date of Signing Date of Entry into Force Agreement Additional Information
1 Algeria Under Consideration        
2 Belgium Under Negotiation        
3 Botswana Concluded (Not Signed)     Agreement Document  
4 Cameroon Under Consideration        
5 Canada In Force 27/04/1983 08/01/1987 Agreement Document  
6 China Signed (Not In Force) 21/09/2017      
7 Denmark In Force 13/12/1972 15/03/1973 Agreement Document  
8 Democratic Republic of Congo Under Consideration        
9 East African Community Signed (Not In Force) 30/11/2010   Agreement Document  
10 Egypt Under Negotiation        
11 Ethiopia Under Consideration        
12 France In Force 04/12/2007 01/11/2010 Agreement Document  
13 Germany In Force 17/05/1977 01/01/1980 Agreement Document  
14 Ghana Under Consideration        
15 India       Agreement Document Legal Notice
16 Iran In Force 29/05/2012 13/07/2017 Agreement Document  
17 Ireland Proposed     Agreement Document  
18 Italy Signed (Not In Force) 03/03/2016      
19 Ivory Coast Under Consideration        
20 Japan Under Negotiation        
21 Jordan Under Consideration        
22 Korea In Force 07/07/2014 03/04/2017 Agreement Document  
23 Kuwait Signed (Not In Force) 12/11/2013   Agreement Document  
24 Macedonia Under Consideration        
25 Malawi Under Consideration        
26 Malaysia Under Negotiation        
27 Mauritius Signed (Not In Force) 07/05/2012   Agreement Document  
28 Mozambique Under Consideration        
29 Netherlands Signed (Not In Force) 22/07/2015   Agreement Document  
30 Nigeria Concluded (Not Signed)        
31 Norway In Force 13/12/1972 10/09/1973 Agreement Document  
32 Portugal Concluded (Not Signed)   10/07/2018    
33 Qatar In Force 23/04/2014 25/06/2015    
34 Russia Under Consideration        
35 Saudi Arabia Concluded (Not Signed)     Agreement Document  
36 Senegal Under Consideration        
37 Seychelles In Force 17/03/2014   Agreement Document  
38 Singapore Concluded (Not Signed)        
39 South Africa In Force 26/11/2010 01/01/2015 Agreement Document  
40 South Sudan Under Consideration        
41 Spain Under Negotiation        
42 Sudan Under Consideration        
43 Sweden In Force 28/06/1973 28/12/1973 Agreement Document  
44 Thailand Concluded (Not Signed)        
45 Turkey Concluded (Not Signed)     Agreement Document  
46 United Arab Emirates In Force 21/11/2011 22/02/2017 Agreement Document  
47 United Kingdom In Force  31/07/1973  30/07/1977 Agreement Document  
48 Zambia In Force  27/08/1968  01/01/1964 Agreement Document  
49 Zimbabwe Under Consideration