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Double Taxation Agreement
15 December 1984
Article 1
PERSONAL SCOPE
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents
of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2
TAXES COVERED
1. This Convention Shall apply to taxes on income and
on capital imposed on behalf of each Contracting State or of its political
subdivisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which
they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income and on capital
all taxes imposed on total income, or on total capital, or on elements
of income or of capital including taxes on gains from the alienation of
movable or immovable property as well as taxed on the total amounts of
wages or salaries paid by enterprises.
3. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply
are, in particular:
a) in Cyprus: the income tax, the special contribution,
and the capital gains tax (hereinafter referred to as "Cyprus tax");
b) in Kuwait: corporate tax (hereinafter referred to
as "Kuwait tax").
4. This Convention shall also apply to any identical or substantially
similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of this Convention
in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities
of the Contracting States shall notify to each other any significant changes
which have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. In this Convention, unless the Context otherwise requires:
a) the term "Cyprus" means the Republic of Cyprus,
and includes any area adjacent to the territorial waters of Cyprus which
in accordance with international law has been or may hereafter be designated,
under the laws of Cyprus concerning the Continental Shelf, as an area within
which the rights of Cyprus with respect to the sea bed and subsoil and
their natural resources may be exercised;
b) the term "Kuwait" means the State of Kuwait;
c) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting
State" mean Cyprus and Kuwait as the context requires;
d) the term "person" comprises an individual, a company
and any other body;
e) the term "company" means any body corporate or any
entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
f) the terms "enterprise of a Contracting State" and
"enterprise of the other Contracting State" mean, respectively, an enterprise
carried on by a resident of a Contracting State and an enterprise carried
on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
g) the term "national means: i. any individual possessing
the nationality of a Contracting State; ii. any legal person, partnership
and association deriving its Status as such from the law in force in a
Contracting State;
h) the term "international traffic" means any transport
by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise which has its place of
effective management in a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft
is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
i) the term "competent authority" means; i. in the case
of Cyprus, the Minister of Finance or his authorised representative; ii.
in the case of Kuwait, the Minister of Finance or his authorised representative.
2. In the application of this Convention by a Contracting
State, any term not otherwise defined shall, unless the Context otherwise
requires, have the meaning which it has under the laws of that Contracting
State relating to the taxes which are the subject of this Convention.
Article 4
FISCAL DOMICILE
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident
of a Contracting State" means any person who, under the law of that State,
is liable to taxation therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place
of management or any other criterion of a similar nature.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an
individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then this case shall
be determined in accordance with the following rules:
a) he shall be deemed to be a resident of the
State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent
home available to him in both States, he shall be deemed to be a resident
of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closest
(centre of vital interests);
b) if the State in which he has his centre of vital interests
cannot be determined, or if he has no permanent home available to him in
either Contracting State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting
State in which he has a habitual abode;
c) if he has a habitual abode in both Contracting States
or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting
State of which he is a national;
d) if he is a national of both Contracting States or
of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States
shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person
other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then
it shall be deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which its
place of effective management is situated.
Article 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT AND PERMANENT BASE
A. Permanent establishment:
1. For the purposes of this Convention the term "permanent
establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business
of the enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term "permanent establishment" shall include especially:
a) a place of management;
b) a branch;
c) an office;
d) a factory;
e) a workshop;
f) a mine, oil well, quarry or other place of extraction
of natural resources;
g) a building site or construction or installation or
assembly project, which exists for more than twelve months. The competent
authorities of the Contracting States may, however, by mutual agreement
extend the twelve-month period in cases where they deem necessary;
h) a farm or plantation.
3. The term "permanent establishment" shall not be deemed
to include:
a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose
of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the
enterprise;
b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise
belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display
or delivery;
c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise
belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another
enterprise;
d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely
for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise, or for collecting information,
for the enterprise;
e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely
for the purpose of advertising, for the supply of information, for scientific
research or for similar activities which have a preparatory or auxiliary
character for the enterprise.
4. An enterprise of one of the Contracting States shall be
deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State
if:
a) it carries on supervisory activities in that
other Contracting State for more than twelve months in connection with
a construction, installation or assembly project which is being undertaken
in that other Contracting State;
b) it carries on a business which consists of providing
the services of public entertainers of the kind referred to in Article
17 in that other Contracting State.
5. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 6 of this Article,
a person acting in one of the Contracting States on behalf of an enterprise
of the other Contracting State shall be deemed to be a permanent establishment
in the first-mentioned Contracting State if:
a) he has, and habitually exercises in that first-mentioned
Contracting State, an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the
enterprise, unless his activities are limited to the purchase of goods
or merchandise for the enterprise; or
b) he maintains in the first-mentioned Contracting State
a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise from which
he regularly fills orders on behalf of the enterprise.
6. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed
to have a permanent establishment in the Contracting State merely because
it carries on business in that State through a broker, general commission
agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided such persons
are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
7. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting
State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the
other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State
(whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of
itself make either company a permanent establishment of the other.
B. Permanent base:
For the purpose of this Convention the term "fixed base"
means a fixed place through which the activities of a person rendering
independent personal services are wholly or partly carried on.
Article 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income from immovable property including income from
agriculture or forestry may be taxed in the Contracting State in which
such property is situated.
2.
a) The term "immovable property" shall, subject to the
provisions of subparagraphs (b) and (c), be defined in accordance with
the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated;
b) the term "immovable property" shall in any case include
property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used
in agriculture and forestry, rights to which the provisions of general
law respecting immovable property apply, usufruct of immovable property
and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working
of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources;
c) ships and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable
property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income
derived from the direct use, letting or use in any other form of
immovable
property.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply
to the income from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from
immovable property used for the performance of professional services.
Article 7
BUSINESS PROFITS
1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State
shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business
in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated
therein. If the enterprise carries on business as aforesaid, the profits
of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them
as is attributable to that permanent establishment.
2. Where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries
on business in the other Contracting State through permanent establishment
situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to
that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to
make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same
or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing
wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.
3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent
establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are
incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment including executive
and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in
which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
4. In so far as it has been customary in a Contracting
State to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment
on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise
to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting
State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment
as may be customary. The method of apportionment adopted shall, however,
be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles laid
down in this Article.
5. No profits shall he attributed to a permanent establishment
by reason of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods
or merchandise for the enterprise.
6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits
to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by
the same method year by year unless there is good and sufficient reason
to the contrary.
7. Where profits include items of income which are dealt
with separately in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions
of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT
1. Profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in
international traffic shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in
which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated,
irrespective of the assistance of a permanent establishment in the other
Contracting State.
2. If the place of effective management of a shipping
enterprise is aboard a ship, then it shall be deemed to be situated in
the Contracting State in which the home harbour of the ship is situated,
or if there is no such home harbour, in the Contracting State of which
the operator of the ship is a resident.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits
derived from the participation in a pool, in a joint business or in an
international operations agency.
Article 9
ASSOCIATED ENTERPRISES
Where -
a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates
directly or indirectly in the management. control or capital of an enterprise
of the other Contracting State, or
b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly
in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting
State and an enterprise of the other Contracting State, and in either case
conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial
or financial relations which differ from those which would be made between
two independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those
conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those
conditions, have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that
enterprise and taxed accordingly.
Article 10
DIVIDENDS
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of
a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may he
taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may be taxed in the Contracting
State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, and according
to the law of that State, but the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 percent
of the gross amount of the dividends.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, as long
as Cyprus does not impose a tax on dividends in addition to the tax chargeable
on the profits or income of a company, dividends paid by a company which
is a resident of Cyprus to a resident of Kuwait shall be exempt from any
tax in Cyprus which may be chargeable on dividends in addition to the tax
chargeable on the profits or income of the company.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States
shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of paragraphs
2 and 3.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 shall not affect
the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the
dividends are paid.
6. The term "dividends" as used in this Article means
income from shares, as well as income from other corporate rights which
is subject to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the
taxation law of the State of which the company making the distribution
is a resident.
7. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply
if the recipient of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State,
carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company
paying the dividends is a resident through a permanent establishment situated
therein, or performs in that other State professional services from a fixed
base situated therein and the holding in respect of which the dividends
are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or
fixed base. In such a case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14,
as the case may be, shall apply.
8. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting
State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that
other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company
to residents of the first-mentioned State, or subject the company's undistributed
profits to a tax on undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid,
or the undistributed profits, consist wholly or partly of profits or income
arising in that other State.
Article 11
INTEREST
1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to
a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, interest derived from one of the Contracting
States by a resident of the other Contracting State who is the beneficial
owner thereof, may also be taxed in the first-mentioned Contracting State
at a rate not exceeding 10 percent of the gross amount thereof.
3. Notwithstanding the provision of paragraph 2 of this
Article interest arising from credits or loans accorded by the Government
of a Contracting State or by a Bank or other institution in the name or
on behalf of that Government shall be taxable only in that State.
4. The term "interest" as used in this Article means income
from debt-claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, and
whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor's profits,
and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds
or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to bonds or debentures.
5. Interest shall be deemed to be derived from a Contracting
State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision or a
local authority thereof or a resident of that State. Where, however, the
person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State
or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment in connection
with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred,
and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment, then such interest
shall be deemed to be derived from the Contracting State in which the permanent
establishment is situated.
6. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply if the
recipient of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries
on in the other Contracting State, in which the interest arises, a business
through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that
other State professional services from a fixed base situated therein, and
the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively
connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case,
the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
7. Where, owing to a special relationship between the
payer and the recipient or between both of them and some other person,
the amount of the interest paid, having regard to the debt-claim for which
it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the
payer and the recipient in the absence of such relationship, the provisions
of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In that
case the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to
the law of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions
of this Convention.
Article 12
ROYALTIES
1. Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to
a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. However, royalties of the kind referred to in sub-paragraph
(a) of paragraph 3 may be taxed in the Contracting State in which they
arise, and according to the law of that State, but the tax so charged shall
not exceed 5 percent of the gross amount of the royalties. The competent
authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle
the mode of application of this limitation.
3. The term "royalties" as used in this Article means
payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the
right to use,
a) any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan,
secret formula or process, or any industrial, commercial or scientific
equipment, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific
experience;
b) any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific
work including cinematograph films, and films or tapes for television or
radio broadcasting.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if
the recipient of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State,
carries on in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise
a business through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs
in that other State professional services from a fixed base situated therein,
and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is
effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base.
In such a case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case
may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting
State when the payer is that Contracting State itself, a political subdivision,
a local authority or a resident of that Contracting State. Where, however,
the person paying the royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting
State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment in connection
with which the liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties
are borne by such permanent establishment, then such royalties shall be
deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment
is situated.
6. Where, owing to a special relationship between the
payer and recipient or both of them and some other person, the amount of
the royalties paid, having regard to the use right or information for which
they are paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by
the payer and the recipient in the absence of such relationship, the provisions
of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In that
case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to
the law of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions
of this Convention.
Article 13
CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains from the alienation of immovable property, as
defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, may be taxed in the Contracting State
in which such immovable property is situated.
2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming
part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise
of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable
property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting
State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing professional
services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent
establishment (alone or together with the whole enterprise) or of such
a fixed base, may be taxed in the other State. However, gains from the
alienation of movable property of the kind referred to in paragraph 3 of
Article 22 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which such
movable property is taxable according to the said Article.
3. Gains from the alienation of any property other than
those mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be taxable only in the Contracting
State of which the alienator is a resident.
Article 14
INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State
in respect of professional services or other independent activities of
a similar character shall be taxable only in that State unless he has a
fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for
the purpose of performing his activities. If he has such a fixed base,
the income may be taxed in the other Contracting State but only so much
of it as is attributable to that fixed base.
2. The term "professional services" includes, especially,
independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities
as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers,
architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15
DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18 and 19,
salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of
a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in
that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting
State. If the employment is so exercised, such remuneration as is derived
therefrom may be taxed in that other State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration
derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment
exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned
State if:
a) the recipient is present in the other State
for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the
fiscal year concerned, and
b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer
who is not a resident of the other State, and
c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment
or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article,
remuneration in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft
in international traffic, may be taxed in the Contracting State in which
the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
Article 16
DIRECTORS' FEES
Directors' fees and similar payments derived by a resident
of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors
or a similar organ of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting
State may be taxed in that other State.
Article 17
ARTISTES AND ATHLETES
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15,
income derived by public entertainers, such as theatre, motion picture,
radio or television artistes, and musicians, and by athletes from their
personal activities as such, may be taxed in the Contracting State in which
these activities are exercised.
2. Where the services mentioned in paragraph 1 of this
Article are provided in one of the Contracting States by an enterprise
of the other Contracting State, then the income derived from providing
those Services by such enterprise shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned
Contracting State, if the enterprise is directly or indirectly supported,
wholly or substantially, from the public funds of the Government of that
other Contracting State in connection with the provision of such services.
Article 18
GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTIONS
1. Remuneration, other than a pension. paid by a Contracting
State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual
in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority
shall be taxable only in that State.
2. However, remuneration referred to in paragraph 1 shall
be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered
in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
a) is a national of that State; or
b) did not become a resident if that State solely for
the purpose of rendering the services.
3. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to
remuneration in respect of services rendered in connection with a business
carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local
authority thereof.
Article 19
PENSIONS
Pensions, annuities and other similar remuneration paid
to a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 20
STUDENTS
1. Payments which a student or business apprentice who
is present in a Contracting State solely for the purpose of his education
or training and who is or was immediately before such visit a resident
of the other Contracting State received for the purpose of his maintenance,
education or training shall not be taxed in the first-mentioned Contracting
State, provided that such payments are made to him from sources outside
that State.
2. A student at a university or other institution for
higher education in a Contracting State, or a business apprentice who is
present in the other Contracting State and who is or was immediately before
such visit a resident of the first-mentioned State, shall not be taxed
in the other Contracting State in respect of remuneration for services
rendered in that other State, provided that the services are in connection
with his studies or training and the remuneration constitutes earnings
necessary for his maintenance.
Article 21
INCOME NOT EXPRESSLY MENTIONED
Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State which
are not expressly mentioned in the foregoing Articles of this Convention
shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 22
CAPITAL
1. Capital represented by immovable property, as defined
in paragraph 2 of Article 6, may be taxed in the Contracting State in which
such immovable property is situated.
2. Capital represented by movable property forming part
of the business property of a permanent establishment of an enterprise,
or by movable property pertaining to a fixed base used for the performance
of professional services, may be taxed in the Contracting State in which
the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
3. Ships and aircraft operated in international traffic
and movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships and aircraft,
shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the place of effective
management of the enterprise is situated.
4. All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting
State shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 23
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. The laws of each of the Contracting States shall continue
to govern the taxation of income whether derived from the Contracting State
or elsewhere except where express provisions to the contrary are made in
this Convention. Where income derived from one of the Contracting States
is subject to tax in both Contracting States, relief from tax chargeable
on such income shall be given in accordance with the provisions of paragraphs
(2) and (3) of this Article.
2. In the case of Kuwait, tax payable in Cyprus on profits,
income or gains arising in Cyprus shall be deducted from any Kuwait tax
payable in respect of such profits, income or gains.
3. In the case of Cyprus, subject to the existing provisions
of the law of Cyprus regarding the deduction from tax payable in Cyprus
of tax paid in a territory outside Cyprus and to any subsequent modification
of those provisions - which shall not affect the general principle hereof
- and unless a greater deduction or relief is provided under the laws of
Cyprus, tax payable in Kuwait on profits, income or gains arising in Kuwait
shall be deducted from any Cyprus tax payable in respect of such profits,
income or gains.
Article 24
LIMITATION OF RELIEF
Where under any provision of this Convention income is
relieved from tax in one of the Contracting States and, under the law in
force in the other Contracting State, a person in respect of the said income,
is subject to tax by reference to the amount thereof which is remitted
to or received in that other Contracting State and not by reference to
the full amount thereof then the relief to be allowed under this Convention
in the first-mentioned Contracting State shall apply only to so much of
the income as is remitted to or received in the other Contracting State.
Article 25
NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. The nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected
in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected
therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected
requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances
are or may be subjected.
2. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an
enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall
not be less favourably levied in that other State than the taxation levied
on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities. This
provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant
to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs
and reductions for tax purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities
which it grants to its own residents.
3. Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of
which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly,
by one or more residents of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected
in the first-mentioned Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement
connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation
and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises of that first-mentioned
State are or may be subjected.
4. In this Article the term "taxation" means taxes of
every kind and description.
Article 26
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a resident of a Contracting State considers that
the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result
for him in taxation not in accordance with this Convention, he may present
his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he
is a resident. The claim for case most be lodged within a period of six
months from the date of the assessment. The competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall resolve the matter within one year from the date
of a claim.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection
appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at
an appropriate solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the
competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the
avoidance of taxation not in accordance with the Convention.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States
shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts
arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention. They
may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases
not provided for in the Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States
may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an
agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. When it seems advisable
in order to reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions, such
exchange may take place through a Commission consisting of representatives
of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
Article 27
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States
shall exchange such information as is necessary for the carrying out of
this Convention and of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning
taxes covered by this Convention in so far as the taxation thereunder is
in accordance with this Convention. Any information so exchanged shall
be treated as secret and shall not be disclosed to any persons or authorities,
including courts, other than those concerned with the assessment, collection,
enforcement or prosecution in respect of taxes which are the subject of
the Convention.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed
so as to impose on one of the Contracting States the obligation:
a) to carry out administrative measures at variance
with the laws or the administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting
State;
b) to supply particulars which are not obtainable under
the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the
other Contracting State;
c) to supply information which would disclose any trade,
business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process
or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy
(ordre public).
Article 28
DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR OFFICIALS
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges
of diplomatic or consular officials under the general rules of international
law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 29
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. The Governments of the Contracting States shall notify
to each other that the constitutional requirements for the entry into force
of this Convention have been complied with.
2. The Convention shall enter into force on the date of
the later of the notifications referred to in paragraph 1 and its provisions
shall have effect, in respect of taxes which are levied for any taxable
year beginning on or after 1st January in the calendar year in which the
Convention enters into force.
Article 30
TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT
This Convention shall remain in force until denounced
by one of the Contracting States. Either Contracting State may denounce
the Convention through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of termination
at least six months before the end of any calendar year following after
the period of five years from the date of which the Convention enters into
force. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect in respect
of taxes which are levied for any taxable year beginning on or after 1st
January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice is
given. This Convention may, however, be amended at any time by a subsequent
agreement between the Contracting States.
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