DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF ON TAXES ON INCOME WITH THE GREAT SOCIALIST PEOPLE’S LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA ORDER (taxxifuql-income)
Table of Provisions (9)
Statutory Text (9 Articles)
DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF (TAXES ON INCOME)
(THE GREAT SOCIALIST LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA)
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 123.03
DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF ON TAXES ON
INCOME WITH THE GREAT SOCIALIST PEOPLE’S
LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA ORDER
20th May, 2010
LEGAL NOTICE 328 of 2010.
The title of this Order is Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on
Income) (The Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya)
Order.
CONVENTION BETWEEN
MALTA
AND
THE GREAT SOCIALIST PEOPLE'S LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION
AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION
WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME
DESIRING to promote and develop the economic relations and co-operation
between the two countries have decided to conclude a Convention for the avoidance
of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on
income, and 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.
It is hereby declared
(a) that the arrangements specified in the Convention set
out in the Schedule to this Order have been made with
The Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
with a view to affording relief from double taxation in
relation to the following taxes imposed by the laws of
The Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
-
the income tax, law No (11) of 1372 P.D (2004)
regarding income tax and the defence tax, law
No (44) of 1970;
(b) that it is expedient that those arrangements should
have effect;
(c) that the Convention has entered into force on the 20
May, 2010.
The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are in particular
(a) in the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
the income tax, law No (11) of 1372 P.D (2004) regarding income tax
and the defence tax, law No (44) of 1970; (hereinafter referred to as
"Libyan tax"); and
(b) in Malta, the income tax;
(hereinafter referred to as the "Maltese tax").
The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar
taxes which 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 significant changes made to their tax laws.
Article 3
General Definitions
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires
(a) The terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean
Libya or Malta as the context requires;
(b) The term "Libya", means the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya; used in a geographical sense, it means the territory of the
Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including the
territorial sea and any other area in the sea and in the air within which
the Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, in accordance
with international law, exercises sovereign rights or its jurisdiction;
(c) 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
super-adjacent water column adjacent to the territorial waters, where the
Republic of 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;
(d) The term "person" includes an individual, a company and any other
body of persons;
(e) The term "company" means any body corporate or any entity that 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 "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or aircraft
operated by an enterprise that 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;
(h) The term "competent authority" means
(i)
In Libya, the Secretary of the General People’s Committee for
Finance or the General Director of the Taxation Authority or their
authorised representatives;
(ii) In Malta, the Minister responsible for finance or his authorised
representative.
(i)
The term "national" means
(i) Any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) Any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as
such from the laws in force in a Contracting State.
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
Tax Domicile
Without prejudice to any of the other provisions of this Convention, the tax
domicile for income is the Contracting State in which such income arises.
Article 5
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 incorporation, place of management or
any other criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any political
DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF (TAXES ON INCOME)
(THE GREAT SOCIALIST LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA)
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 or capital situated therein.
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
(a) 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);
(b) 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;
(c) 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;
(d) 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 6
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
(a) A place of management;
(b) A branch;
(c) An office;
(d) A factory;
(e) A workshop;
(f)
A mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of
natural resources;
(g) A building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or
supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only if such site,
project or activities last more than three months.
3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this article, the term
"permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include
(a) The use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage or display 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 or display;
(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 of collecting information, for the
enterprise;
(e) 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;
(f)
The maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination
of activities mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (e), provided that the
overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this
combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
4. 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
in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, that
enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned
Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the
enterprise, if such a person
(a) Has and habitually exercises in that State an authority to conclude
contracts in the name of 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; or
(b) Has no such authority, but habitually maintains in the first-mentioned
State a stock of goods or merchandise from which he regularly delivers
goods or merchandise on behalf of the enterprise.
An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to have a
permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on
business in that other 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.
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 7
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 also 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 8
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
(a) that permanent establishment;
(b) sales in that other State of goods or merchandise of the same or similar
kind as those sold through that permanent establishment; or
(c) other business activities carried on in that other State of the same or
similar kind as those effected through 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 the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall
be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the
b usi ne ss of th e pe rm a ne nt e sta bl i shm e nt i n cl ud in g e xec ut i ve an d g en er al
administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent
establishment is situated or elsewhere provided that these deductions shall not
exceed the deduction that would be allowed according to domestic law of the
Contracting State where a permanent establishment is situated.
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 contained in this article.
5. If the information available to the competent authority of a Contracting
State is inadequate to determine the profits to be attributed to the permanent
establishment, nothing in this Article shall affect the application of any law or
regulations of that Contracting State relating to the determination of the tax liability
of that permanent establishment by making of an estimate of the profits to be taxed
of that permanent establishment by the competent authority of that Contracting
State, provided that such law or regulations shall be applied, taking into account the
information available to the competent authority, consistently with the principles of
this Article.
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.
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 9
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.
2. For the purpose of this Article, profits from the operation in international
traffic of ships or aircraft shall include in particular profits from
(a) Leasing of ships or aircraft on charter fully equipped, manned and
supplied, used in international transport;
(b) Occasional rental of ships or aircraft on a bare boat basis; and
(c) The use or rental of containers (including trailers and ancillary
equipment used for transporting of containers),
Where such rental or use is supplementary or incidental to the operation of ships
or aircraft in international transport.
3. If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise or 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.
4. 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 10
Associated Enterprises
1. 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 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. It is to be understood that the procedures available in the respective
laws of each Contracting State in this regard shall be applied.
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 the Convention and the competent authorities of the Contracting States
shall, if necessary, consult each other.
3. The provisions of paragraph 2 shall not apply where judicial, administrative
or other legal proceedings have resulted in a final ruling that by actions giving rise
to an adjustment of profits under paragraph 1, one of the enterprises concerned is
liable to penalty with respect to fraud, gross negligence or wilful default.
Article 11
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 Contracting 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 Contracting State, but
(a) where the dividends are paid by a company which is a resident of Libya
to a resident of Malta who is the beneficial owner thereof the tax so
charged shall not exceed
(i)
if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a company (other than a
partnership) which holds directly at least 10 per cent of the
capital of the company paying the dividends, 5 per cent;
(ii) in all other cases, 15%.
(b) where the dividends are paid by a company which is a resident of Malta
to a resident of Libya who is the beneficial owner thereof, the Malta tax
on the gross amount of the dividends shall not exceed that chargeable on
the profits out of which the dividends are paid.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement
settle the mode of application of these limitations. 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
Contracting 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 8 or Article 15, 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 Contracting 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 Contracting 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 Contracting 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 Contracting State.
Article 12
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 five 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 the interest is paid to and
beneficially owned by the other Contracting State or a local authority thereof, the
Central Bank or any financial institution wholly owned by that other Contracting
State, political subdivision or local authority.
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 paragraph 1 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
cases the provisions of article 8 or article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
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
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.
7. 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.
Article 13
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 5 per cent 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, any copyright of
literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films, or films or tapes
used for radio or television broadcasting, 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
oth er Co ntr acting St ate in whi ch t he ro yalti es arise, thr oug h a p erm anent
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 8 or Article 15, 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 14
Capital Gains
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of
immovable property referred to in article 7 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 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 the Contracting State in which the place of effective
management of the enterprise is situated.
4. Gains from the alienation of shares of the capital stock of a company, or of
an interest in a partnership, trust or estate, the property of which consists directly or
indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be
taxed in that State. In particular
(a) Nothing contained in this paragraph shall apply to a company,
partnership, trust or estate, other than a company, partnership, trust or
estate engaged in the business of management of immovable properties,
the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of
immovable property used by such company, partnership, trust or estate
in its business activities.
(b) For the purposes of this paragraph, "principally" in relation to
ownership of immovable property means the value of such immovable
property exceeding fifty percent of the aggregate value of all assets
owned by the company, partnership, trust or estate.
5. Gains from the alienation of shares other than those mentioned in paragraph
4 which form part of a substantial participation in a company which is a resident of a
Contracting State may be taxed in that State. Shares shall be deemed to form part of
a substantial participation in a company when the transferor, alone or together with
related persons, holds directly or indirectly shares in that company which entitle him
in the aggregate to 25 per cent or more of the profits of that company.
6. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in
paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the
alienator is a resident.
Article 15
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, when such income may also
be taxed in the other Contracting State
(a) 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
(b) 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 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 16
Dependent Personal Services
1. Subject to the provisions of articles 17, 19 and 20, 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 there from 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 any twelve-month period
commencing or ending 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
derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in
international traffic, or aboard a boat engaged in inland waterways transport, may be
taxed in the Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the
enterprise is situated.
Article 17
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 18
Artistes and Sportspersons
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of articles 15 and 16, 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 sportsperson, 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 sportsperson in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsperson
himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of
articles 8, 15 and 16, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the
entertainer or sportsperson are exercised.
Article 19
Pensions and Social Security Payments
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of article 20, 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 paid and other
payments made under a public scheme which is part of the social security system of
a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof shall be
taxable only in that State.
Article 20
Government Service
1. (a) 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.
(b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be
taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered
in that other State and the individual is a resident of that State who
(i) Is a national of that State; or
(ii) Did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of
rendering the services.
2. (a) 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.
(b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting
State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of, that other State.
3. The provisions of articles 16, 17, 18 and 19 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 21
Students
A student or trainee 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 shall not be subject to tax in
the first-mentioned State on
(a) payments he receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or
training, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that
State; and
(b) income he earns from an employment within that State, provided such
employment is relevant to his education or training and the income
there from is necessary for the purpose of his maintenance.
Article 22
Professors, Teachers and Researchers
1. Any remuneration paid to professors, teachers or researchers who are
resident of a Contracting State and who are present in the other Contracting State for
the purpose of teaching or carrying on scientific research at a university or other
officially recognised higher educational institution, shall be exempt from tax in that
other State for a period of two years from the date of arrival of these persons in that
other State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this article shall not apply to remuneration
from research if such research is undertaken not in the public interest but primarily
for the private benefit of a specific person or persons.
Article 23
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 7, 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 8 or article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, items of income of a
resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing articles of this
Convention and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other
State.
Article 24
Elimination of Double Taxation
1. Where a resident of Libya derives income which, in accordance with the
provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in Malta, Libya shall, subject to the
provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3, exempt such income from tax.
2. Where a resident of Libya derives items of income which, in accordance
with the provisions of articles 11, 12 and 13 may be taxed in Malta, Libya shall
allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to
the tax paid in that other State. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part
of the tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to such
items of income derived from that other State.
3. Where in accordance with any provision of this Convention income derived
by a resident of Libya is exempt from tax in Libya, Libya may nevertheless, in
calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income of such resident, take into
account the exempted income.
4. Where a resident of Malta derives income which, in accordance with the
provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in Libya, Malta shall allow as a
deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the income
tax paid in Libya. Such deduction shall not, however, 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 Libya.
5. Where, in accordance with any provision of this Convention, income
derived by a resident of Malta is exempt from tax in Malta, Malta may nevertheless,
in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income of such resident, take into
account the exempted income.
Article 25
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, is 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 10, paragraph 6 of
arti cle 12 or par agr ap h 6 of art icle 13 ap ply, int erest, ro yalt ies and oth er
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.
Article 26
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 25,
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
r e s o l v e b y m u t u a l a g r e e m e n t a n y d i ff i c u l t i e s o r d o u b t s a r i s i n g a s t o t h e
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. The competent authorities, through consultations, shall
develop appropriate bilateral procedures, conditions, methods and techniques for the
implementation of the mutual agreement procedure provided for in this article.
Article 27
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, in so far as the taxation there under is not contrary to the Convention, in
particular for the prevention of fraud or evasion of such taxes. 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. However, if the
information is originally regarded as secret in the transmitting State it 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 which are the
subject of the Convention. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only
for such purposes but may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in
judicial decisions. The competent authorities shall, through consultation, develop
appropriate conditions, methods and techniques concerning the matters in respect of
which such exchanges of information shall be made, including, where appropriate,
exchanges of information regarding tax avoidance.
2. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose
on a Contracting State the obligation
(a) To carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and
administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) 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;
(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
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 29
Entry Into Force
This Convention shall enter into force 30 days after the date of receipt of the latter
notification through diplomatic channels by which one Contracting State notifies the
other that its internal legal requirements for the entry into force of this Convention
have been fulfilled. This Convention shall have effect in respect of income derived
during the taxable years beginning on or after the 1st day of January next following
that in which this Convention enters into force.
Article 30
Termination
1. This Convention shall remain in force until one of the Contracting States
gives written notice of its intention to terminate the Convention to the other
Contracting State through diplomatic channels, on or before the thirtieth day of June
in any calendar year 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 in respect of
income derived during the taxable years beginning on or after the first day of
January of the year next following that in which the notice of termination has been
given.
2. The convention between Malta and the Great Jamahiriya for the Avoidance
of double taxation with respect to taxes on Income signed on the 5th of October 1972
and the protocol thereto signed on the 28th April 1995 shall be terminated on the
date on which this Convention comes into force. In such a case the above mentioned
convention signed on the 5th of October 1972 and the above mentioned Protocol
thereto shall cease to have effect with respect to income derived during the taxable
years beginning on or after the first day of January of the year next following that on
which this Convention enters into force.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized thereto, have signed
this Convention.
Done in Tripoli on the 28th this day of December of the year two thousand and
eight in duplicate, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally
authentic.
H.E. Dr. Joseph Cassar
Mr. Ramadan Barq
Ambassador
Director European Affairs
FOR MALTA
FOR THE GREAT SOCIALIST
PEOPLE’S LIBYAN ARAB
JAMAHIRIYA
PROTOCOL
Malta and the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya have agreed, at the
signing in Tripoli on the 28th Day of December of the year two thousand and eight
of the Convention between the two States for the avoidance of double taxation and
the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income, upon the following
provisions, which shall form an integral part of the said Convention
1. With respect to Article 8 (Business Profits), the tax that may be charged in a
Contracting State on the profits of a Joint Business, to the extent that those profits
are derived by, or distributable directly or indirectly to, an Eligible Person who is a
resident of the other Contracting State, shall not exceed fifteen per cent (15%).
2. With respect to Article 11 (Dividends) -
(a) a company which is a resident of a Contracting State and which is a
Joint Business shall be entitled to require that the gains or profits
derived by it and which are distributable, directly or indirectly, by way
of a dividend to an Eligible Person who is a resident of the other
Contracting State shall, notwithstanding that the dividend or part
thereof has not been distributed, be taxed at a rate not exceeding fifteen
per cent (15%);
(b) when gains or profits of a company have been subject to tax at a rate not
exceeding fifteen per cent (15%) in accordance with paragraph (a), no
further tax shall be charged in that or in the other Contracting State on
any dividend paid, directly or indirectly, out of the said gains or profits.
DOUBLE TAXATION RELIEF (TAXES ON INCOME)
(THE GREAT SOCIALIST LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA)
3. In this Protocol -
(a) "Eligible Person" means
(i) an individual resident in a Contracting State; or
(ii) a Contracting State or a political sub-division or authority thereof;
or
(iii) a company or other body of persons which is fully owned, directly
or indirectly, by persons who are Eligible Persons in terms of sub-
paragraphs (i) and (ii);
(b) a "Joint Business" means an enterprise -
(i)
carried on jointly by two or more persons, whether constituted as
a company or not, who include at least one Eligible Person who is
a resident of a Contracting State and at least one Eligible Person
who is a resident of the other Contracting State; and
(ii) whose activities do not consist solely or mainly of purchasing
goods (including imports) for resale (including exports); and
(iii) whose profits are derived wholly or mainly from activities carried
on in a Contracting State or in both Contracting States.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, duly authorized thereto, have signed
DONE in Tripoli, on the 28th this day of December of the year two thousand and
eight in duplicate, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally
H.E. Dr. Joseph Cassar
Mr. Ramadan Barq
Director European Affairs
FOR THE GREAT SOCIALIST
PEOPLE’S LIBYAN ARAB
JAMAHIRIYA