Law library · Sierra Leone · The Diamond Supple- Short title, mentary Agreement (1951) Ratification Ordinance, 1952
Schedule., The Diamond Supple- Short title, mentary Agreement (1951) Ratification Ordinance, 1952
Status not yet checkedThe Diamond Supple- Short title, mentary Agreement (1951) Ratification Ordinance, 1952, Sierra Leone
AN AGREEMENT made the 18th day of October 1951 BETWEEN
THE CROWN AGENTS FOR THE COLONIES whose office is at No. 4
Mill bank in the City of Westminster for and on behalf of the Government
of the Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone (hereinafter called " the
Government ") of the one part and SIERRA LEONE SELECTION TRUST
LIMITED whose Registered Office is situate at Selection Trust Building,
Mason's Avenue, Coleman Street in the City of London (hereinafter called
" the Company ") of the other part.
WHEREAS:
(1) This Agreement is supplemental to-
(i) A deed dated the 20th day of October, 1934 (hereinafter called
"the Licence") made between Thomas Nelson Goddard, M.B.E., the
then Acting Governor of the Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone
aforesaid, acting on behalf of the Government, of the one part and
the Company of the other part, whereby the Governor granted to the
Company for the term of ninety-nine years from the 1st July, 1933
(determinable as therein provided) a sole and exclusive Licence to
explore for, exploit, produce, take, dispose of and market diamond
throughout the Colony of Sierra Leone (hereinafter called " the Colony ")
except as therein mentioned and
(ii) An Agreement dated the 15th day of April, 1935 (hereinafter
called " the Supplemental Agreement ") and made between the said
Crown Agents for the Colonies acting for and on behalf of Henry
Monck-Mason Moore, c.M.G., the then Governor of the Colony of the
first part, Consolidated African Selection Trust Limited of the second
part and the Company of the third part, modifying (inter alia) the
provisions of the Licence to the extent therein mentioned but which
modifications are not material for the purposes of this Agreement.
(2) It was provided by Clause 4 of the Licence that except and subject
as provided by Clause 3 thereof the Company should at all times during the
continuance of the Licence be exempt in respect of their operations in
connection with the production and disposal of diamond from all rents,
taxes, royalties, export duties, charges or impositions whatsoever in respect
of minerals or profits which might otherwise be imposed upon or become
payable by the Company with the following cxceptions-
(i) Such tax as the Government might impose on profits of the
uiamond industry not exceeding 27! per cent of the net profit of the
Company ascertained as therein mentioned, and
(ii) Surface rents and compensation payable to tribal authorities
and other persons under the Minerals Ordinance, 1927, and any amendments thereto for the time being in force.
(3) By the Income Tax Ordinance, 1943, and subsequent amendments
thereto the Government has imposed income tax upon the income of persons
accruing in or derived from or received in the Colony in respect of profits
or gains and other matters therein referred to but by virtue of the provisions
of the Licence and section 9 (1) (p) of the said Income Tax Ordinance, the
Company is exempt from the said income tax in respect of income derived
by it from operations under the Licence.
Diamond Agreement (1951) [Cap. 208
(4) In order to assist the Government the Company has offered to become
liable for the payment of income tax to the extent and upon and subject to
the terms and conditions hereinafter contained and upon the understanding
that such offer and the Government's acceptance of it will not in any way
directly or indirectly result in the Company becoming liable to pay more
in the aggregate by way of taxation in Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom
respectively than the Company would have been liable to pay if such offer
had not been accepted and the Government had accepted the Company's
said offer.
NOW THIS DEED WITNESSETH as follows-
1. NoTWITHSTANDING anything contained in the Licence and in section
9 (1) (p) of the Income Tax Ordinance, the Government shall, subject to
the provisions of this Agreement, have power to impose income tax on the
Company under the Income Tax Ordinance, 1943, as amended as aforesa1:d
for the year of assessment 1949/50 and as from time to time amended for
any subsequent year of assessment in respect of the Company's income from
its operations under the Licence.
2. THE imposition of the income tax on the Company shall be subject
to the following conditions-
(i) The Sierra Leone income tax payable by the Company,
computed by reference to the income of any period, shall be subject to
the deduction of the amount of Diamond Industry Profit Tax payable
by the Company in respect of the income of that period;
(ii) The Government shall grant to the Company relief from the
amount of Sierra Leone income tax payable by the Company to the extent
(if any) by which the aggregate amount of Sierra Leone income tax
and Diamond Industry Profit Tax payable by the Company exceeds
the amount of credit given to the Company in respect of such aggregate
amount against the amount of United Kingdom tax payable by the
Company, or if no credit in respect of such aggregate amount is given
against United Kingdom tax or if there shall be no liability on the
Company to pay United Kingdom tax the relief shall extend to the
whole amount of the Sierra Leone income tax payable by the Company.
The said relief shall not, in any event, extend to the Diamond Industry
Profit Tax.
(iii) The Company shall not as a result of this Agreement become
directly or indirectly liable to pay more in the aggregate by way of
taxation in Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom than it would have
been liable to pay had this Agreement not been made, and accordingly
if at any time the aggregate amount of all taxes and duties (charged
on or calculated by reference to the Company's income or profits or
any part thereof) payable by the Company in Sierra Leone and the
United Kingdom exceeds the aggrega.te amount of such taxes which
would have been payable by the Company if no tax or duty were payable
by it in Sierra Leone except as provided for in Clause 4 of the Licence
and the Ordinance giving effect to it then the Government shall grant
to the Company relief from the aggregate amount of all Sierra Leone
taxes payable by the Company to the extent of the amount of such excess.
(iv) For the purpose of computing the liability of the Company
to the payment of Sierra Leone income tax, the income of the Company
for each year of assessment shall be computed for the purpose of
assessment in an amount equal to-
2170 Cap. 208] Diamond AgTeement (1951)
(a) The income derived by the Company from operations under
the Licence as assessed to income tax in the United Kingdom; and
(b) the deduction, if any, made in computing such income in
respect of any National Defence Contribution or Profits Tax or
Excess Profits Tax imposed in the United Kingdom but after
deducting
(c) the amount of any loss incurred in any other trade or
business carried on by the Company in Sierra Leone which the
Company may be entitled to deduct or set off in computing its
profits for purpose of income tax in the United Kingdom or in
computing its total income from all sources under Section 20 of
the Income Tax Ordinance, 1943, or any section amending or
replacing the same. Provided that the aggregate amount of such
deductions for losses under this sub-clause shall not exceed the
amount of such losses.
Read the whole lawDownload PDFAsk Tima what this means
Check the current official version before relying on this text. MiLAWYER shares legal information, not legal advice.