The tax on dividend income is addressed in the provided context under different sections of the Inland Revenue Act:
- Taxation of Dividends for the Second Half of 2022: According to the information on page 12 of the document titled “IR_Act_No._04_2023_E.pdf,” gains and profits from dividends for the second six months of the year of assessment commencing on April 1, 2022, shall be taxed at the rate of 15%.
- Taxation of Dividends for Companies: On page 63 of the document titled “IR_Act_No._24_2017_E.pdf,” it is stated that dividends distributed by a resident company shall be taxed on the company’s shareholders, while dividends distributed by a non-resident company shall be included in the taxable income of the shareholders.
- Exemption of Certain Dividends from Withholding Tax: On page 221 of the same document, it is mentioned that the rate of tax to be withheld from a dividend paid by a company to a non-resident member shall be zero if the company paying the dividend has incurred more than USD 1,000 million on depreciable assets in Sri Lanka or is entitled to an enhanced capital allowance.
- Final Withholding Payments: On page 95 of the same document, dividends paid by a resident company to a resident person are listed as final withholding payments, implying that such dividends are subject to withholding tax at the source.
These excerpts from the Inland Revenue Act provide details on how dividends are taxed, including the rates, conditions for exemptions, and the distinction between dividends paid by resident and non-resident companies