TAX （税收）条款是融资贷款协议等协议中的常见条款，对合同交易双方有关纳税的责任进行了明确的规定。Tax credit, tax deduction, tax exemption是此条款中的核心术语，它们都表示税收减免，那么，这三者之间的区别是什么呢？下面且看笔者细细道来：

Tax credit，税额减免；税额抵免。指从应付税款额中扣除按规定可予以减免或抵免的款项。投资百科（Investopedia）中对其的解释如下：A tax credit is an amount of money that taxpayers are permitted to subtract, dollar for dollar, from the income taxes that they owe. 在我国，税额抵免一般包括国外税收抵免（即纳税人在居住国汇总计算国外的收入所得税时，准予扣除其在国外的已纳税款）、投资抵免（政府规定凡对可折旧性资产投资者，其可由当年应付公司所得税税额中，扣除相当于新投资设备某一比率的税额，以减轻其税负，借以促进资本形成并增强经济增长的潜力）。

Tax deduction，应税所得减免；应税收入减免。指允许纳税人从其应课税的收入中扣除一定金额。投资百科（Investopedia）中对其的解释如下：A tax deduction is a deduction that lowers a person's tax liability by lowering his taxable income. Deductions are typically expenses that the taxpayer incurs during the year that can be applied against or subtracted from his gross income in order to figure out how much tax is owed.

Tax exemption，免税。在美国，主要是指（1）对用于教育、宗教、慈善目的的财产免于征税；（2）对某种收益规定免交所得税，如联邦及地方政府公债的利息收入和政府发放的社会福利金等。 Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. （From Wikipedia）而在我国，免税收入包括对个人取得的教育储蓄存款利息似的所得以及国务院财政部门确定的其他专项储蓄存款或者储蓄性专项基金存款的利息所得、科研单位和大专院校的技术转让收入、治理“废渣、废气、废水”收益、省级人民政府、国务院部委和中国人民解放军军以上单位，以及外国组织、国际组织颁布的科学、教育、技术、文化、卫生、体育、环境保护等方面的奖金等等。

由以上定义中，可以看出，应税所得减免（tax deduction） 和免税（tax exemption）免的都是“应税收入（taxable income）”，即从应税所得中减免一定金额；而税额减免（tax credit）则是从应纳税款总额中扣除一定金额。所以，相比之下，税额减免要比应税所得减免和免税更为优惠，因为它直接减的就是应纳税款。

下面我们通过一个例子来具体了解一下三者之间的差别：

李华为某一中学的老师，月工资为6000元，因获得省级优秀老师奖，被授予三万元奖金，同时她还在国外的一家机构兼职，收入为6000元，国外扣税100元，因李华房子为贷款所购，故每月需还贷4000元。理论上，李华的应税收入为6000+6000+30000=42000元，但根据我国国家规定，因房贷可抵扣个税，所以房贷4000为李华的应税所得减免（tax deduction）；而三万元奖金属免税（tax exemption）项目，无需纳税，所以李华的应税收入为6000+6000-4000=8000元，应缴345元税额，但又因李华已在国外缴税100，因此这100即为税额减免（tax credit），可直接从345元税额中减去，因此，李华应纳税345-100=245元。

知识拓展：协议中还有一个与税收有关的重要条款Tax gross-up（税收补偿），对协议中应支付的款项是否含税等进行了规定，以下为相关示例：

Tax gross-up

(a)All payments to be made by an Obligor to the Lender under the Finance Documents shall be made free and clear of and without any Tax Deduction unless such Obligor is required to make a Tax Deduction, in which case the sum payable by such Obligor (in respect of which such Tax Deduction is required to be made) shall be increased to the extent necessary to ensure that the Lender receives a sum net of any deduction or withholding equal to the sum which it would have received had no such Tax Deduction been made or required to be made.

(b)The Borrower shall promptly upon becoming aware that an Obligor must make a Tax Deduction (or that there is any change in the rate or the basis of a Tax Deduction) notify the Lender accordingly. Similarly, the Lender shall notify the Borrower on becoming so aware in respect of a payment payable to the Lender.

(c)If an Obligor is required to make a Tax Deduction, that Obligor shall, and the Borrower shall ensure that Obligor will, make that Tax Deduction and any payment required in connection with that Tax Deduction within the time allowed and in the minimum amount required by law.

(d)Within 30 days of making either a Tax Deduction or any payment required in connection with that Tax Deduction, the Borrower shall deliver to the Lender evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Lender that the Tax Deduction has been made or (as applicable) any appropriate payment has been paid to the relevant taxing authority.

税收补偿

(a)除非义务人必须进行扣税，义务人在融资文件项下向贷款人支付的所有款项均不得进行任何扣税。如果义务人必须进行扣税，在这种情况下，该义务人应支付的款项（即必须对其进行前述扣税的款项）应增加必要金额，以确保贷款人所收到的金额在进行任何扣除或扣缴之后等于假设未进行或无须进行前述扣税的情形下其本应收到的金额。

(b)借款人一旦获悉某位义务人必须进行扣税（或者获悉扣税比率或税基发生变化），借款人必须立即通知贷款人。同样，一旦贷款人获悉应向其支付的款项存在上述情况，贷款人亦应立即通知借款人。

(c)如果某位义务人需要进行扣税，则该义务人应当，并且借款人应当确保该义务人将在法律允许的期限内按照法律规定的最低金额进行扣税并且支付前述扣税所需的任何款项。

(d)在进行扣税或支付前述扣税所需的任何款项后三十（30）天内，借款人应当向贷款人提交贷款人感到合理满意的证据，证明其已完成扣税或者（若适用）已向相关税务机关支付适当的款项。