CONVENTION 

BETWEEN THE GRAND DUCHY OF LUXEMBOURG AND MALTA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES

ON INCOME AND ON CAPITAL 

The Government of Malta and the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, 

desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital,

have agreed as follows: 

Article 1

Personal scope

This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.

Article 2

Taxes covered

1. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are:

1. a) in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg:

(i) the income tax on individuals (l’impôt sur le revenu des personnes physiques);

(ii) the corporation tax (l’impôt sur le revenu des collectivités);

(iii) the tax on fees of directors of companies (l’impôt spécial sur les tantièmes);

(iv) the capital tax (l’impôt sur la fortune);

(v) the communal trade tax (l’impôt commercial communal);

(hereinafter referred to as “Luxembourg tax”).

1. b) in Malta:

the income tax

(hereinafter referred to as “Malta tax”).

2. 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 substantial changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.

3. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article this Convention shall not apply to tax paid or payable in Malta in accordance with the provisions of subsection (11) of section 31 of the Income Tax Act (Cap. 123) concerning the chargeable income of any person engaged in the production of petroleum produced in Malta or any substantially similar provision which is imposed after the date of signature of this Convention.

 

Article 3

General definitions

1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. a) the term “Luxembourg” when used in a geographical sense, means the territory of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;

1. b) the term “Malta” 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, and any area outside the territorial sea of Malta which, in accordance with international law, has been or may hereafter be designated, under the law of Malta concerning the Continental Shelf, as an area within which the rights of Malta with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources may be exercised;

1. c) the terms “a Contracting State” and “the other Contracting State” mean Luxembourg or Malta as the context requires;

1. d) the term “person” includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;

1. e) the term “company” means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;

1. 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;

1. g) the term “nationals” means:

(i) all individuals possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;

(ii) all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving their status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;

1. h) 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;

1. i) the term “competent authority” means:

(i) in Luxembourg, the Minister of Finance or his authorized representative, and

(ii) in Malta, the Minister responsible for finance or his authorized representative.

2. As regards the application of the Convention by a Contracting State any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of that State concerning the taxes to which the Convention applies.

 

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. But this term 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:

1. a) he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to him in both  States, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);

1. 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 of the State in which he has an habitual abode;

1. c) if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State of which he is a national;

1. 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 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:
3. a) a place of management;
4. b) a branch;
5. c) an office;
6. d) a factory;
7. e) a workshop;
8. f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources including an offshore drilling site; and

1. g) a building site or construction, assembly or installation project or any supervisory activities in connection therewith, when such site, project or activity continues for more than six months.

3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term “permanent establishment” shall be deemed not to include:
4. a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;

1. b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;

1. c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;

1. 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;

1. 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;

1. f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities, mentioned in sub-paragraphs 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. A person engaged in a Contracting State in exploration of the seabed and its subsoil or in exploitation of natural resources situated there, as well as in activities which are complementary or auxiliary to such activities, is deemed to exercise such activities through a permanent establishment in that State.

5. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if:

1. a) there is being used by the enterprise sufficient equipment as is necessary to carry out its activities in that other State;

1. b) it carries on supervisory activities in that other State in connection with the use of equipment referred to in subparagraph a).

6. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 4, where a person – other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 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 3 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.

7. 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, where such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business. However, if the activities of such an agent are carried out wholly or almost wholly for the enterprise (or for the enterprise and other enterprises which are controlled by it or have a controlling interest in it or are subject to the same common control) and the conditions made or imposed between them in their commercial or financial relations differ from those which would have been made or imposed if this had not been the case, that agent shall not be considered to be an agent of an independent status for the purposes of this paragraph.

8. 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 or to explore for, 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 or with other associated enterprises with which it deals.

3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses of the enterprise, being expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment (including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred) and which would be deductible if the permanent establishment were an independent entity which paid those expenses, whether incurred in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.

4. Nothing in this Article shall affect the application of any law of a Contracting State relating to the determination of the tax liability of a person, including th determination of such liability by the exercise of discretion or the making of an estimate by the competent authority of that State in cases in which, from the information available to the competent authority of that State, it is not possible or not practicable to ascertain the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment, provided that that law shall be applied, and 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. The provisions of this Article shall not affect the provisions of the law of a Contracting State regarding the taxation of profits from the business of insurance.

8. 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 derived from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.

 

Article 9

Associated enterprises

1. Where

1. 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

1. 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.

2. Nothing in this Article shall affect the application of any law of a Contracting State relating to the determination of the tax liability of an enterprise including the determination of such liability by the exercise of a discretion or the making of an estimate by the competent authority of that State in cases which, from the information available to the competent authority of that State, it is not possible or not practicable to determine the income to be attributed to an enterprise, provided that that law shall be applied, and the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.

3. 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 that 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. a) where the dividends are paid by a company which is a resident of Luxembourg to a resident of Malta who is the beneficial owner thereof, the Luxembourg tax so charged shall not exceed:

(i) 5 percent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company (other than a partnership) which holds directly at least 25 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends;

(ii) 15 percent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.

1. b) where the dividends are paid by a company which is a resident of Malta to a resident of Luxembourg 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, “jouissance” shares or “jouissance” rights, mining shares, founders’ 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 a 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 States.

 

Article 11

Interest

1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in that other State, if such resident is the beneficial owner of the interest.

2. 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.

3. 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 case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

4. 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 recipient is the beneficial owner of the royalties the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.

3. The term “royalties” as used in this Article means payments or credits, whether periodical or not, and however described or computed, to the extent to which they are made as consideration for:

1. a) the use of, or the right to use, any copyright, patent, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, trademark or other like property or right;

1. b) the supply of scientific, technical, industrial or commercial knowledge or information;

1. c) the supply of any assistance that is ancillary and subsidiary to, and is furnished as a means of enabling the application or enjoyment of, any such property or right as is mentioned in sub-paragraph a), or any such knowledge or information as is mentioned in sub-paragraph b);

1. d) the use of, or the right to use:

(i) motion picture films; or

(ii) films or videotapes for use in connection with television; or

(iii) tapes for use in connection with radio broadcasting;

1. e) total or partial forbearance in respect of the use or supply of any property or right referred to in this paragraph.

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 that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority, or 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 fixed base in connection with which the obligation 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 a 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

Alienation of property

1. Income or 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 as well as gains derived from the alienation of shares or participation in a company whose assets consist mainly of immovable property situated in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

2. Income or 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 income or gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or together with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in the other State.

3. Income or 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. Income or gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, 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. However, such income may be taxed in the other Contracting State in the following circumstances:

1. a) if he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities (in which case only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base may be taxed in that other Contracting State); or

1. b) if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 90 days in any twelve month period commencing or ending in the calendar year concerned.

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, 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 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. 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 calendar year concerned, and

1. b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State, and

1. 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 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 entertainers or sportsmen are exercised.

 

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 payments made under the social security legislation of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.

Article 19

Government service

2. a) 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.

1. b) However, such 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:

(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.

3. 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.

1. 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 State.

3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16 and 18 shall apply to remuneration and pensions in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof.

 

Article 20

Students and apprentices

An individual who is a resident of a Contracting State immediately before making a visit to the other Contracting State and is temporarily present in the other State solely:

1. a) as a student at a recognized university, college, school or other similar recognized educational institution in that other State; or

1. b) as a business or technical apprentice; or

1. c) as a recipient of a grant, allowance or award for the primary purpose of study, research or training from the Government of either State or from a scientific, educational, religious, or charitable organization or under a technical assistance programme entered into by the Government of either State, shall be exempt from tax in that other State on:

• a) all remittances from abroad for the purposes of his maintenance, education, study, research or training;
• b) the amount of such grant, allowance or award; and
• c) any remuneration for personal services rendered in that other State, provided that the remuneration constitutes earnings necessary for his maintenance.

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 a permanent establishment or fixed base. in such cases the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

 

Article 22

Capital

1. Capital represented by immovable property referred to in Article 6, owned by a resident of a Contracting State and situated in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

2. Capital represented by 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 by 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, may be taxed in that another State.

3. Capital represented by ships and aircraft operated in international traffic by an enterprise of a Contracting State and by movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships and aircraft, shall be taxable only in that State.

4. All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.

 

Article 23

Elimination of double taxation

1. In Luxembourg double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:

1. a) Where a resident of Luxembourg derives income or owns capital which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in Malta, Luxembourg shall, subject to the provisions of sub-paragraphs b) to f), exempt such income or capital from tax, but may, in order to calculate the amount of tax on the remaining income or capital of the resident, apply the same rates of tax as if the income or capital had not been exempted.

1. b) Where a resident of Luxembourg derives royalties which, in accordance with the provisions of Article 12 may be taxed in Malta, Luxembourg shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the tax paid in Malta. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to such royalties derived from Malta.

1. c) Where an enterprise of Luxembourg derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of Article 7, may be taxed in Malta, Luxembourg shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the tax paid in Malta, but only if the enterprise enjoys in Malta a special fiscal treatment by virtue of the laws or the administrative practice of Malta. Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to such income derived from Malta. The Governments of the Contracting States shall agree periodically which special fiscal treatment is meant under the provisions of this sub-paragraph.

1. d) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-paragraph b), where a resident of Luxembourg derives interest or royalties arising in Malta, Luxembourg shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident an amount equal to the tax which would have been payable but for the exemption or reduction of Malta tax in accordance with special incentive measures for the promotion of development of industry, infrastructure and tourism in Malta, provided that in the case of interest or royalties such tax shall be deemed to have been paid at

(i) 10 percent of the gross amount of the interest referred to in Article 11; and

(ii) 10 percent of the gross amount of the royalties referred to in Article 12. 

The provisions of this sub-paragraph shall apply for a period of  seven years beginning on the 1 January in the calendar year in which the Convention enters into force. This period may be extended by mutual agreement between the competent authorities.

1. e) Where a company which is a resident of Luxembourg derives dividends from Malta sources, Luxembourg shall exempt such dividends from tax, provided that the company which is a resident of Luxembourg holds directly at least 25 percent of the capital of the company paying the dividends since the beginning of the accounting year and if this company is subject in Malta to an  income tax corresponding to the Luxembourg corporation tax. The abovementioned shares in the Malta company are, under the same conditions, exempt from the Luxembourg capital tax. The exemption under this subparagraph shall also apply notwithstanding that the Malta company is exempted from tax or taxed at a reduced rate in Malta in accordance with Malta laws providing incentives for the promotion of development of industry, infrastructure and tourism in Malta.

1. f) Where a resident of Luxembourg derives dividends from Malta sources not dealt with in sub-paragraph e), such dividends shall be subject to Luxembourg tax on the amount after the deduction of Malta tax charged on such dividends, but, there shall be allowed as a credit against Luxembourg tax an amount of 15 per cent on such dividends after the deduction of the Malta tax (if any) charged thereon. Such credit shall not, however, exceed that part of the tax, as computed before the credit is given, which is attributable to such dividends derived from Malta.

2. In Malta double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:

1. a) Subject to the provisions of the law of Malta regarding the allowance of a credit against Malta tax in respect of foreign tax, where, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, there is included in a Malta assessment income from sources within Luxembourg, the Luxembourg tax on such income shall be allowed as a credit against the relative Malta tax payable thereon.

1. b) Where a company which is a resident of Luxembourg pays a dividend to a company resident in Malta which controls directly or indirectly at least 10 per cent of the voting power in the first-mentioned company, the credit shall take into account (in addition to any Luxembourg tax for which credit may be allowed under subparagraph a) of this paragraph) the Luxembourg tax payable by that first-mentioned company in respect of the profits out of which such dividend is paid.

3. Where the Convention provides that income arising in a Contracting State shall be relieved from tax in that State, either in full or in part, and, under the law in  force in the other Contracting State, such income is subject to tax by reference to the amount thereof which is remitted to or received in that other State and not by reference to the full amount thereof, then the relief to be allowed in the first-mentioned State shall apply only to so much of the income as is remitted to or received in the other State.

 

Article 24

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 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.

3. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 4 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. Similarly, any debts of an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable capital of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been contracted 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. Nothing in this Article shall be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to individuals who are resident of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for tax purposes on account of civil status, family responsibilities or any other personal circumstances which it grants to its own residents.

6. The provisions of this Article shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 2, apply to taxes of every kind and description.

 

Article 25 

Mutual agreement procedure

1. [The first sentence of paragraph 1 of Article 25 of this Convention is replaced by the first sentence of paragraph 1 of Article 16 of the MLI] [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 24, 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 the 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 for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. When it seems advisable in order to reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions, such exchange may take place through a Commission consisting of representatives of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.

Article 26

Exchange of information

1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is foreseeably relevant for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or to the administration or enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes of every kind and description imposed on behalf of the Contracting States, or of their political subdivisions or local authorities, insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention. The exchange of information is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2.

2. Any information received under paragraph 1 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, the determination  of appeals in relation to the taxes referred to in paragraph 1, or the oversight of the above. 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.

3. In no case shall the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:

1. a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;

1. 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;

1. 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).

4. If information is requested by a Contracting State in accordance with this Article, the other Contracting State shall use its information gathering measures to obtain the requested information, even though that other State may not need such information for its own tax purposes. The obligation contained in the preceding sentence is subject to the limitations of paragraph 3 but in no case shall such limitations be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information solely because it has no domestic interest in such information.

5. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 3 be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information upon request solely because the information is held by a bank, other financial institution, nominee or person acting in an agency or a fiduciary capacity or because it relates to ownership interests in a person.

 

Article 27 

Diplomatic agents and consular officers 

Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements. 

 

Article 28

Exclusion of certain companies

1. The provisions of this Convention shall not apply to companies enjoying a special fiscal treatment by virtue of the laws or the administrative practice of either one of the Contracting States. Neither shall they apply to income derived from such companies by a resident of the other Contracting State, nor to shares or other rights in such companies owned by such a person.

2. The Governments of the Contracting States shall agree periodically which special fiscal treatment is meant under the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article.

 

Article 29

Entry into force

1. The Governments of the Contracting States shall notify each other that the constitutional requirements for the entry into force of this Convention have been complied with.

2. The Convention shall enter into force thirty days after the date of the later of the notifications referred to in paragraph 1 and its provisions shall have effect:

1. a) in Luxembourg:

(i) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to income derived on or after 1 January in the calendar year in which the Convention enters into force:

(ii) in respect of other taxes on income and taxes on capital, to taxes chargeable for any taxable year beginning on or after 1 January in the calendar year in which the Convention enters into force;

1. b) in Malta:

in respect of taxes which are levied for any year of assessment beginning on or after 1 January in the calendar year immediately following the year in which the Convention enters into force.

Article 30

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 notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year following after the period of five years from the date on which the Convention enters into force. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:

1. in Luxembourg:

1. a) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to income derived on or after 1 January in the calendar year immediately following the year in which the notice is given;

1. b) in respect of other taxes on income and taxes on capital, to taxes chargeable for any taxable year beginning on or after 1 January in the calendar year immediately following the year in which the notice is given;

2. in Malta:

in respect of taxes which are levied for the year of assessment beginning on or after 1 January of the second calendar year next following the year in which the notice is given.