REPUBLIC OF SERBIA) ORDER, 2010
Table of Provisions (9)
Statutory Text (9 Articles)
L.N. 431 of 2010
INCOME TAX ACT
(CAP. 123)
DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF (TAXES ON INCOME) (THE
REPUBLIC OF SERBIA) ORDER, 2010
IN exercise of the powers conferred by article 76 of the Income
Tax Act, the Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investment has
made the following order:-
The title of this order is the Double Taxation Relief (Taxes Citation.
on Income) (The Republic of Serbia) Order, 2010.
(Artiklu 2)
BEJN
MALTA
U
R-REPUBBLIKA TAS-SERBJA
GĦALL-EVITAR TA’ TAXXA DOPPJA DWAR TAXXI FUQ L-INCOME
MALTA
U
IR-REPUBBLIKA TAS-SERBJA
billi jixtiequ jagћmlu ftehim gћall-evitar ta’ taxxa doppja dwar taxxi fuq l-income,
ftehmu kif āej
Artiklu 1
PERSUNI KOPERTI
Dan il-Ftehim gћandu japplika gћal persuni li jkunu residenti fi Stat
Kontraenti wieћed jew fit-tnejn li huma.
Artiklu 2
TAXXI KOPERTI
1. Dan il-ftehim gћandu japplika gћat-taxxi fuq l-income imposti f’isem
Stat Kontraenti, irrispettivament mill-mod kif dawn jināabru.
2. Gћandhom jitqiesu bћala taxxi fuq l-income it-taxxi kollha imposti fuq
l-income totali, jew fuq elementi ta’ income, inkluŜi taxxi fuq kull qliegћ mit-
trasferiment ta’ proprjetà mobbli jew immobbli, u taxxi fuq l-ammonti totali ta’
pagi u salarji li jitћallsu minn impriŜi kif ukoll taxxi fuq l-apprezzament kapitali.
It is hereby declared:-
Arrangements to
have effect.
(a) that the arrangements specified in the Agreement set out in
the Schedule to this Order have been made with the Republic of
Serbia with a view to affording relief from double taxation in relation
to the following taxes imposed by the laws of the Republic of Serbia
-
the corporate income tax;
-
personal income tax;
(b) that it is expedient that those arrangements should have
effect;
that the Convention has entered into force on the 16 th June,
(c)
2010. SCHEDULE
(Article 2)
BETWEEN
MALTA
AND
THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION WITH RESPECT TO
TAXES ON INCOME
MALTA
AND
THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation with
respect to taxes on income,
have agreed as follows
Article 1
PERSONS COVERED
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 imposed on behalf of a
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 all taxes imposed on total
income, or on elements of income, including taxes on gains from the alienation of
movable or immovable property, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries
paid by enterprises, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.
The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are
(1) in Serbia
(1)
the corporate income tax;
(2)
personal income tax
(hereinafter referred to as ''Serbian tax'');
(2) in Malta
the income tax.
(hereinafter referred to as ''Malta tax'').
The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially
similar taxes that are imposed after the date of signature of the Convention in
addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall notify each other of any significant changes that have been
made in their taxation laws.
Article 3
GENERAL DEFINITIONS
1. For the purposes of this Convention
(1) the terms ''a Contracting State'' and ''the other Contracting State''
mean Serbia or Malta, as the context requires;
(2) the term "Serbia" means the Republic of Serbia, and when used in a
geographical sense it means the territory of the Republic of Serbia;
(3) the term ''Malta'' means the Republic of Malta and, when used in a
geographical sense, means the Island of Malta, the Island of Gozo and the other
islands of the Maltese archipelago including the territorial waters thereof, as well
as any area of the seabed, its subsoil and the superjacent water column adjacent to
the territorial waters, wherein Malta exercises sovereign rights, jurisdiction, or
control in accordance with international law and its national law, including its
legislation relating to the exploration of the continental shelf and exploitation of its
natural resources;
(4) the term ''national'' means
(1)
any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(2)
any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as
such from the laws in force in a Contracting State.
(5) the term ''person'' includes an individual, a company and any other
body of persons;
(6) the term "company'' means any body corporate or any entity that is
treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(7) 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;
(8) the term ''international traffic'' means any transport by a ship or
aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or
aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
(9) the term ''competent authority'' means
(1)
in Serbia, the Ministry of Finance or its authorized
representative;
(2)
in Malta, the Minister responsible for finance or his authorized
representative.
2. As regards the application of the Convention at any time by a
Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise
requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of that State for the
purposes of the taxes to which the Convention applies, any meaning under the
applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under
other laws of that State.
Article 4
RESIDENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term ''resident of a
Contracting State'' means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to
tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other
criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any political
subdivision or local authority thereof. This term, however, does not include any
person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in
that State.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a
resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows
(1)
he shall be deemed to be a resident only 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 only of the State
with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital
interests);
(2)
if the State in which he has his centre of vital interests cannot be
determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either
State, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which he has an
habitual abode;
(3)
if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of them,
he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State of which he is a national;
(4)
if he is a national of both 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 only of the State in which its place of effective management is situated.
Article 5
PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term ''permanent
establishment'' means a fixed place of business through which the business of an
enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term ''permanent establishment'' includes especially
(1)
a place of management;
(2)
a branch;
(3)
an office;
(4)
a factory;
(5)
a workshop, and
(6)
a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of
extraction of natural resources.
3. The term "permanent establishment" likewise encompasses
(1)
a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project
or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only where such site,
project or activities continue for a period of more than nine months;
(2)
the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an
enterprise through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise
for such purpose, but only where activities of that nature continue (for the
same or a connected project) within a Contracting State for a period or
periods aggregating more than six months within any twelve month period.
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term
''permanent establishment'' shall be deemed not to include
(1)
the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or
delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(2)
the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging
to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;
(3)
the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging
to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
(4)
the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the
purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for
the enterprise;
(5)
the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the
purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory
or auxiliary character;
(6)
the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any
combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs 1) to 5), provided that
the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this
combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person -
other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 6 applies - is
acting on behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a Contracting
State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, that
enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in that State in
respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, unless the
activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 4 which, if
exercised through a fixed place of business, would not make this fixed place of
business a permanent establishment under the provisions of that paragraph.
An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in
a 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 that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly
on behalf of that enterprise, and conditions are made or imposed between that
enterprise and the agent in their commercial and financial relations which differ
from those which would have been made between independent enterprises, he will
not be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this
paragraph.
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 constitute either company
a permanent establishment of the other.
Article 6
INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY
1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable
property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other
Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term ''immovable property'' shall have the meaning which it has
under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated.
The term 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 landed 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;
ships, boats 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 independent personal 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. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a
Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a
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 determining 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. Insofar 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 contained in this Article.
5. No profits shall be 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
INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC
1. Profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State from the operation of
ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits from the
participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
Article 9
ASSOCIATED ENTERPRISES
1. Where
(1)
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
(2)
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 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.
2. Where a Contracting State includes in the profits of an enterprise of that
State - and taxes accordingly - profits on which an enterprise of the other
Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other State and the profits so
included are profits which would have accrued to the enterprise of the
first-mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been
those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then that
other State shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of the tax charged
therein on those profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to
the other provisions of this Convention and the competent authorities of the
Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.
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 be taxed in that other State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of
which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of
that State, but
(1) where the dividends are paid by a company which is a resident of Serbia
to a resident of Malta who is the beneficial owner thereof, the tax so charged by
Serbia shall not exceed
(i)
5 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial
owner is a company which holds directly at least 25 per cent of the capital of
the company paying the dividends;
(ii)
10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other
cases;
(2) where the dividends are paid by a company which is a resident of Malta
to a resident of Serbia who is the beneficial owner thereof, Malta tax on the gross
amount of the dividends shall not exceed that chargeable on the profits out of
which the dividends are paid.
This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the
profits out of which the dividends are paid.
3. The term ''dividends'' as used in this Article means income from shares
or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income
from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as
income from shares by the laws of the State of which the company making the
distribution is a resident.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner 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 independent personal 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 case the provisions of Article
7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. 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, except insofar as such dividends are
paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which
the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a
fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company's undistributed
profits to a tax on the company's undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or
the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in
such 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, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner
of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall
not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest shall be
exempted from tax in the Contracting State in which it arises if it is derived and
beneficially owned by the Government of the other Contracting State, including
any political subdivision or local authority thereof, the Central Bank or any
financial institution wholly owned by that Government.
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 such securities, bonds or debentures. Penalty charges for
late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in
the other Contracting State in which the interest arises, through a permanent
establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal
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.
6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer
is 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 or a fixed base in connection with which the
indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne
by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed
to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the
beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of
the interest, 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 beneficial owner
in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only
to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall
remain taxable according to the laws 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, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in
which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner
of the royalties is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall
not exceed
(1)
5 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties within the
meaning of subparagraph (1) of paragraph 3 of this Article;
(2)
10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties within the
meaning of subparagraph (2) of paragraph 3 of this Article.
3. The term ''royalties'' as used in this Article means payments of any kind
received as a consideration
(1)
for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary,
artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films or films or tapes
used for radio or television broadcasting; and
(2)
for the use of, or the right to use, any patent, trade mark, design
or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use,
industrial, commercial, or scientific equipment, or for information
concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business
in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent
establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal
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 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 a resident of that 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 or a fixed base in connection with which the liability to
pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent
establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the
State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the
beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of
the royalties, 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
beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article
shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the
payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due
regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 13
CAPITAL GAINS
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of
immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting
State may be taxed in that other State.
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 independent personal services,
including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone
or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other
State.
3. Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the
alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic, or movable property
pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft, shall be taxable only in that
State.
4. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of
shares or comparable interests in a company the property of which consists directly
or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may
be taxed in that State.
5. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in
paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 4 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 activities of an independent character shall be
taxable only in that State except in the following circumstances, where such
income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State
(1)
if he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other
Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities; in that case,
only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base may be taxed
in that other Contracting State; or
(2)
if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or
periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve
month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned; in that
case, only so much of the income as is derived from his activities performed
in that other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
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
(1)
the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods
not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve month period
commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned, and
(2)
the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is
not a resident of the other State, and
(3)
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
derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in
international traffic by an enterprise of a Contracting State, may be taxed in that
State.
Article 16
DIRECTORS' FEES
Directors' fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a
Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors of a
company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that
other State.
Article 17
ARTISTES AND SPORTSMEN
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived
by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion
picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sportsman, from his
personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in
that other State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an
entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or
sportsman himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the
provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the
activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article,
income mentioned in this Article shall be exempt from tax in the Contracting State
in which the activity of the entertainer or sportsman is exercised provided that this
activity is supported in a considerable part out of public funds of the State or a
political subdivision or a local authority thereof or of the other State or a political
subdivision or a local authority thereof, or the activity is exercised under a cultural
or sports agreement or arrangement between the Contracting States.
Article 18
PENSIONS
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 19, pensions and
other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State in
consideration of past employment shall be taxable only in that State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, pensions and other
similar remuneration arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the
other Contracting State in consideration of past employment may be taxed in the
first-mentioned State to the extent that such pensions and other similar
remuneration are not subject to tax in that other State.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, pensions paid and other
payments made under the social security legislation of a Contracting State shall be
taxable only in that State.
Article 19
GOVERNMENT SERVICE
1. (1)
Salaries, wages and other similar 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, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration 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
(1)
is a national of that State; or
(2)
did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of
rendering the services.
2. (1)
Any pension paid by, or out of funds created 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, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting
State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of, that State.
3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18 shall apply to salaries,
wages and other similar remuneration, and to pensions, 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 20
STUDENTS
Payments which a student or business apprentice who is or was immediately
before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and
who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the purpose of his education
or training receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall
not be taxed in that State, provided that such payments arise from sources outside
that State.
Article 21
OTHER INCOME
1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising,
not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in
that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than
income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the
recipient of such income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated
therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed
base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income 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.
Article 22
ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
1. Where a resident of a Contracting State derives income which, in
accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in the other
Contracting State, the first-mentioned State shall allow as a deduction from the tax
on the income of that resident, an amount equal to the income tax paid in that other
State. Such deduction, however, shall not exceed that part of the income tax, as
computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to the income which
may be taxed in that other State.
2. Where in accordance with any provision of the Convention income
derived by a resident of a Contracting State is exempt from tax in that State, such
State may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income
of such resident, take into account the exempted income.
Article 23
NON-DISCRIMINATION
1. 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, in particular with respect to
residence, are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the
provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both
of the Contracting States.
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 taxation purposes on account of civil status
or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents.
3. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 7 of
Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties and other
disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other
Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable profits of such
enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been paid to a
resident of the first-mentioned State.
4. 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 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 the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.
5. The provisions of this Article shall apply to the taxes referred to in
Article 2.
Article 24
MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE
1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the
Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with
the provisions of this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by
the domestic law of those States, present his case to the competent authority of the
Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1
of Article 23, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national.The case
must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action
resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.
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 a satisfactory 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 which is not in
accordance with this Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented
notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.
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, including through a joint commission consisting of
themselves or their representatives, for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the
sense of the preceding paragraphs.
Article 25
EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION
1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such
information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of
the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the
Convention insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention, in
particular for the prevention of fraud or evasion of such taxes. The exchange of
information is not restricted by Article 1. Any information received by a
Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information
obtained under the domestic laws of that State and shall be disclosed only to
persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) concerned with
the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the
determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by the Convention. Such
persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may
disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to
impose on a Contracting State the obligation
(1)
to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws
and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(2)
to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or
in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting
State;
(3)
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 26
MEMBERS OF DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND CONSULAR POSTS
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of
diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law
or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 27
ENTRY INTO FORCE
1. The Contracting States shall notify each other in writing, through
diplomatic channels, that the procedures required by their domestic laws for entry
into force of this Convention have been complied with.
2. This Convention shall enter into force on the date of the later of these
notifications and its provisions shall have effect
(1) in Serbia: in respect of the taxes on income derived in each fiscal year
beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following
the year in which the Convention enters into force;
(2) in Malta: in respect of taxes on income derived during any calendar year
or accounting period, as the case may be, beginning on or after the first day of
January immediately following the date on which the Convention enters into force.
Article 28
TERMINATION
This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting
State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Convention, through diplomatic
channels, by giving written notice of termination at least six months before the end
of any calendar year beginning after the expiration of a period of five years from
the date of its entry into force. In such event, this Convention shall cease to have
effect
(1) in Serbia: in respect of the taxes on income derived in each fiscal year
beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following
the year in which the notice of termination has been given;
(2) in Malta: in respect of taxes on income derived during any calendar year
or accounting period, as the case may be, beginning on or after the first day of
January immediately following the date on which the notice is given.
IN WITNESS whereof the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto,
have signed this Convention.
DONE at Valletta this 9 th day of September 2009 in two originals, in the
Serbian and English languages, both originals being equally authentic.
TONIO FENECH
VUK JEREMIC
FOR THE REPUBLIC OF
FOR MALTA
SERBIA
€1.86