- 1. The Contracting States shall lend assistance to each other in the collection of revenue claims. This assistance is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2 of this Convention.
- 2. The term ‘revenue claim’ as used in this Article means an amount owed in respect of the taxes covered by Article 2 of this Convention which are imposed on behalf of the Contracting States, and in respect of the following taxes, insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to this Convention or any other instrument to which the Contracting States are parties, as well as interest, administrative penalties and costs of collection or conservancy related to such amount:
- (a) in the case of Japan:
- (i) the consumption tax;
- (ii) the inheritance tax; and
- (iii) the gift tax;
- (b) in the case of the United Kingdom:
- (i) the value added tax; and
- (ii) the inheritance tax;
- (c) any other tax agreed upon between the Governments of the Contracting States through an exchange of diplomatic notes.
- 3. When a revenue claim of a Contracting State is enforceable under the laws of that Contracting State and is owed by a person who, at that time, cannot, under the laws of that Contracting State, prevent its collection, that revenue claim shall, at the request of the competent authority of that Contracting State, be accepted for purposes of collection by the competent authority of the other Contracting State. That revenue claim shall be collected by that other Contracting State in accordance with the provisions of its laws applicable to the enforcement and collection of its own taxes as if the revenue claim were a revenue claim of that other Contracting State that met the conditions allowing that other Contracting State to make a request under this paragraph.
- 4. When a revenue claim of a Contracting State is a claim in respect of which that Contracting State may, under its law, take measures of conservancy with a view to ensure its collection, that revenue claim shall, at the request of the competent authority of that Contracting State, be accepted for purposes of taking measures of conservancy by the competent authority of the other Contracting State. That other Contracting State shall take measures of conservancy in respect of that revenue claim in accordance with the provisions of its laws as if the revenue claim were a revenue claim of that other Contracting State even if, at the time when such measures are applied, the revenue claim is not enforceable in the first-mentioned Contracting State or is owed by a person who has a right to prevent its collection.
- 5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article, a revenue claim accepted by the competent authority of a Contracting State for purposes of paragraph 3 or 4 of this Article shall not, in that Contracting State, be subject to the time limits or accorded any priority applicable to a revenue claim under the laws of that Contracting State by reason of its nature as such. In addition, a revenue claim accepted by the competent authority of a Contracting State for the purposes of paragraph 3 or 4 of this Article shall not, in that Contracting State, have any priority applicable to that revenue claim under the laws of the other Contracting State.
- 6. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 5 of this Article, acts carried out by a Contracting State in the collection of a revenue claim accepted by the competent authority of that Contracting State for purposes of paragraph 3 or 4 of this Article, which, if they were carried out by the other Contracting State, would have the effect of suspending or interrupting the time limits applicable to the revenue claim according to the laws of that other Contracting State, shall have such effect under the laws of that other Contracting State. The first-mentioned Contracting State shall inform the other Contracting State about such acts.
- 7. Proceedings with respect to the existence, validity or the amount of a revenue claim of a Contracting State shall not be brought before the courts or administrative bodies of the other Contracting State.
- 8. Where, at any time after a request has been made by a Contracting State under paragraph 3 or 4 of this Article and before the other Contracting State has collected and remitted the relevant revenue claim to the first-mentioned Contracting State, the relevant revenue claim ceases to be
- (a) in the case of a request under paragraph 3 of this Article, a revenue claim of the first-mentioned Contracting State that is enforceable under the laws of that Contracting State and is owed by a person who, at that time, cannot, under the laws of that Contracting State, prevent its collection, or
- (b) in the case of a request under paragraph 4 of this Article, a revenue claim of the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of which that Contracting State may, under its laws, take measures of conservancy with a view to ensure its collection the competent authority of the first-mentioned Contracting State shall promptly notify the competent authority of the other Contracting State of that fact and, at the option of the other Contracting State, the first-mentioned Contracting State shall either suspend or withdraw its request.
- 9. In no case shall the provisions of this Article be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
- (a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
- (b) to carry out measures which would be contrary to public policy;
- (c) to provide assistance if the other Contracting State has not pursued all reasonable measures of collection or conservancy, as the case may be, available under its laws or administrative practice;
- (d) to provide assistance in those cases where the administrative burden for that Contracting State is clearly disproportionate to the benefit to be derived by the other Contracting State;
- (e) to provide assistance if that Contracting State considers that the taxes with respect to which assistance is requested are imposed contrary to generally accepted taxation principles.
- 10. Before assistance is lent under the provisions of this Article, the competent authorities of both Contracting States shall agree upon the mode of application of this Article, including an agreement to ensure comparable levels of assistance to each of the Contracting States. In particular, the competent authorities of both Contracting States shall agree on a limit to the number of applications for assistance that a Contracting State may make in a particular year, as well as a minimum monetary threshold for a revenue claim for which assistance is sought, and procedural rules related to the remittance of amounts collected pursuant to the provisions of this Article.