Agreement between the Government of the SULTANATE OF OMAN and the Government of the REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital
Agreement between the Government of the SULTANATE OF OMAN and the Government of the REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital
The Government of Sultanate of Oman and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan,
Desiring to conclude an Agreement 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:
Contents
CHAPTER I - SCOPE OF THE AGREEMENT
Article 3 - General Definitions
Article 5 - Permanent Establishment
CHAPTER III - TAXATION OF INCOME
Article 6 - Income from Immovable Property
Article 8 - International Transport
Article 9 - Associated Enterprises
Article 14 - Independent Personal Services
Article 15 - Income from Employment
Article 17 - Artistes and Sportspersons
Article 18 - Pensions and Social Security Payments
Article 19 - Government Service
Article 20 - Professors and Researchers
Article 21 - Students and Trainees
CHAPTER IV - TAXATION OF CAPITAL
CHAPTER V - METHODS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
Article 24 - Elimination of Double Taxation
CHAPTER VI - SPECIAL PROVISIONS
Article 25 - Non-Discrimination
Article 26 - Mutual Agreement Procedure
Article 27 - Exchange of Information
Article 28 - Members of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts
CHAPTER I - SCOPE OF THE AGREEMENT
Article 1
Persons Covered
This Agreement shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2
Taxes Covered
This Agreement shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its administrative subdivisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
There shall be regarded as taxes on income and on capital all taxes imposed on total income, on total capital, or on elements of income or of capital, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.
The existing taxes to which the Agreement shall apply are in particular:
in the case of Uzbekistan:
the tax on income (profit) of legal persons;
the tax on income of individuals;
the property tax;
(hereinafter referred to as the "Uzbekistan Tax");
in the case of the Sultanate of Oman:
the company income tax imposed under Royal Decree No. 47/1981; and
the profit tax on establishments imposed under Royal Decree No. 77/1989;
(hereinafter referred to as the "Oman tax").
The Agreement shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes that are imposed after the date of signature of the Agreement in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any significant changes that have been made in their respective taxation laws within a reasonable period of time after such changes.
CHAPTER II - DEFINITIONS
Article 3
General Definitions
For the purposes of this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
the term "Uzbekistan" means the Republic of Uzbekistan and when used in a geographical sense includes its territory, the territorial waters and air space over them where the Republic of Uzbekistan may exercise sovereign rights and jurisdiction, including rights to use the sub-soil and natural resources, in accordance with international law and laws of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
the term "Sultanate of Oman" means the territory of the Sultanate of Oman and the islands belonging thereto, including the territorial waters and any area outside the territorial waters over which the Sultanate of Oman may, in accordance with international law and the laws of the Sultanate of Oman, exercise sovereign rights with respect to the exploration and exploitation of the natural resources of the sea-bed and the sub-soil and the superjacent waters;
the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean the Sultanate of Oman or Uzbekistan as the context requires;
the term "person" includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity that is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
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;
the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship, aircraft or road or railway vehicle operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship, aircraft or road or railway vehicle is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
the term "national" means:
any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;
the term "competent authority" means:
in the case of Uzbekistan, the State Taxation Committee or its authorised representative.
in the case of the Sultanate of Oman, the Minister of National Economy and Supervisor of the Ministry of Finance or his authorised representative.
As regards the application of the Agreement 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 Agreement applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that State.
Article 4
Resident
For the purposes of this Agreement, 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 registration or any other criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any administrative subdivision or local authority thereof.
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:
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);
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;
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;
if the status of the resident cannot be determined by reason of subparagraphs a) to c) in that sequence, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in which its place of effective management is situated.
Article 5
Permanent Establishment
For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "permanent establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:
a place of management;
a branch;
an office;
a factory;
a workshop; and
a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.
The term "permanent establishment" also includes:
a building site or a construction or assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only if such site, project or activities last more than nine months.
the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an enterprise of a Contracting State through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise for such purpose, but only if activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within the other Contracting State for a period or periods aggregating more than 183 days in any twelve-month period.
Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include:
the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;
the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;
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;
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.
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:
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
has no such authority, but habitually maintains in the first-mentioned State a stock of goods or merchandise from which he 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 Contracting State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business. However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, he will not be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this paragraph.
The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
CHAPTER III - TAXATION OF INCOME
Article 6
Income from Immovable Property
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 Contracting State.
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 (including the breeding and cultivation of fish) 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 shall also be considered as "immovable property". Ships, boats and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.
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
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 Contracting State of the same or similar kind as those effected through that permanent establishment.
Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3 of this Article, 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.
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 business of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.
However, no such deduction shall be allowed in respect of amounts, if any, paid (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual expenses) by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices, by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of commission, for specific services performed or for management, or, except in the case of a banking enterprise, by way of interest on moneys lent to the permanent establishment. Likewise, no account shall be taken, in the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, for amounts charged (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual expenses), by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices, by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of commission for specific services performed or for management, or, except in the case of a banking enterprise by way of interest on moneys lent to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices.
The expenses deductible as aforementioned shall be allowed in accordance with the provisions of, and subject to, the limitations of the tax laws of the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated.
Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary. The method of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.
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.
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 Agreement, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
International Transport
Profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State from the operation of ships, aircraft, road or railway vehicles in international traffic shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
For the purposes of this Article, profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall include:
the charter, lease or rental of ships or aircraft fully equipped, manned and supplied, and used in the international traffic;
the charter, lease or rental on a bare boat basis of ships or aircraft, where such charter, lease or rental is incidental to the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic;
the use, maintenance or rental of containers (including trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers), used for the transport of goods or merchandise, where such use, maintenance or rental is incidental to the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic.
The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
The term "operation of ships, aircraft, road or railway vehicles" means business of transportation by sea, or by air, or by road, or by railway of passengers, mail, livestock or goods carried on by the owners, lessees or charterers of ships, or aircraft, or road or railway vehicles including the sale of tickets for such transportation on behalf of other enterprises and any other activity directly connected with such transportation.
Article 9
Associated Enterprises
Where:
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
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.
Where a Contracting State includes, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1, 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 where the competent authorities of the Contracting States agree, upon consultation, that all or part of 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 agreed profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Agreement.
Article 10
Dividends
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.
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 if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 7 (seven) percent of the gross amount of the dividends.
This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, dividends arising in a Contracting State and paid to the Government of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State.
For the purposes of paragraph 3, the term "Government" shall include:
in the case of the Sultanate of Oman:
the Central Bank;
the State General Reserve Fund;
the Omani Investment Fund;
any other statutory body or institution wholly or mainly owned by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, as may be agreed between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
in the case of Uzbekistan:
the Central Bank;
the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
any other institution wholly or mainly owned by the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as may be agreed between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
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.
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.
Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company's undistributed profits to a tax on undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.
The provisions of this Article shall not apply if it was the main purpose or one of the main purposes of any person concerned with the creation or assignment of the shares or other rights in respect of which the dividend is paid to take advantage of this Article by means of that creation or assignment.
Article 11
Interest
Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
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 7 (seven) percent of the gross amount of the interest.
Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to the Government of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State.
For the purposes of paragraph 3, the term "Government" shall include:
in the case of the Sultanate of Oman:
the Central Bank;
the State General Reserve Fund;
the Omani Investment Fund;
any other statutory body or institution wholly or mainly owned by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, as may be agreed between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
in the case of Uzbekistan:
the Central Bank;
the National Bank for Foreign Economic Activity of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
any other institution wholly or mainly owned by the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as may be agreed between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
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.
The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 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 (a) such permanent establishment or fixed base, or with (b) business activities referred to in (c) of paragraph 1 of Article 7. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
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 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.
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 of interest. 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 Agreement.
The provisions of this Article shall not apply if it was the main purpose or one of the main purposes of any person concerned with the creation or assignment of the debt claim in respect of which the interest is paid to take advantage of this Article by means of that creation or assignment.
Article 12
Royalties
Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
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 10 (ten) percent of the gross amount of the royalties.
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 computer software, cinematograph films, or films or tapes or discs 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.
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 (a) such permanent establishment or fixed base, or with (b) business activities referred to in (c) of paragraph 1 of Article 7. In such cases, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
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 Contracting State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
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 of royalties. 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 Agreement.
The provisions of this Article shall not apply if it was the main purpose or one of the main purposes of any person concerned with the creation or assignment of the rights in respect of which the royalties are paid to take advantage of this Article by means of that creation or assignment.
Article 13
Capital Gains
Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
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.
Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships, aircraft or road or railway vehicles operated in international traffic, or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships, aircraft or road or railway vehicles, shall be taxable only in that State.
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
Income derived by an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other similar activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that Contracting State except in the following circumstances, when such income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State:
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
if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve-month period; in that case, only so much of the income as is derived from his activities performed in that other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
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
Income from Employment
Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18 and 19, salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.
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:
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; and
the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State; and
the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.
Notwithstanding the preceding paragraphs of this Article, remuneration derived by any employee of an enterprise of a Contracting State in respect of the employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft in international traffic, may be taxed in that Contracting 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 or similar body of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
Article 17
Artistes and Sportspersons
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 sportsperson, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.
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 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised.
The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to income derived from activities, exercised in a Contracting State by an artiste or a sportsperson if the visit to that State is wholly or mainly supported by public funds of one or both of the Contracting States or administrative subdivision or local authorities or statutory bodies thereof. In such case, the income shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which the artiste or the sportsperson is a resident.
Article 18
Pensions and Social Security Payments
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.
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 shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 19
Government Service
Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or administrative subdivision or local authority or a statutory body thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or body shall be taxable only in that State.
However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State, who:
is a national of that State, or
did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or an administrative subdivision or local authority or statutory body thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority or body shall be taxable only in that State.
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.
The provisions of Articles 15, 16, 17 and 18 shall apply to salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, and to pensions, in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or an administrative subdivision or a local authority or statutory body thereof.
Article 20
Professors and Researchers
An individual who is a resident of a Contracting State immediately before making a visit to the other Contracting State and who, at the invitation of any approved university, college, school, or other similar educational institution or scientific research institution, visits that other Contracting State for a period not exceeding two years from the date of his arrival in that other State solely for the purpose of teaching or research or both at such educational or research institution, shall be exempt from tax in that other State on any remuneration derived from such teaching or research.
The term "approved" in paragraph 1 refers to the approval given by the Contracting State in which the university, college, school or other similar educational institution or scientific research institution is situated.
This Article shall not apply to income from research if such research is undertaken primarily for the private benefit of a specific person or persons.
Article 21
Students and Trainees
Payments which a student, business apprentice 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 receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.
In respect of grants, scholarships and remuneration from employment not covered by paragraph 1, a student, business apprentice or trainee described in paragraph 1 shall, in addition, be entitled during such education or training to the same exemptions, reliefs or reductions in respect of taxes allowed to residents of the State which he is visiting.
Article 22
Other Income
Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement shall be taxable only in that State.
The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the recipient of such income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
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 Agreement and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other State.
CHAPTER IV - TAXATION OF CAPITAL
Article 23
Capital
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.
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 other State.
Capital represented by ships, aircraft, railway and road vehicles operated in international traffic and by movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships, aircraft, railway and road vehicles shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State.
CHAPTER V - METHODS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION
Article 24
Elimination of Double Taxation
Where a resident of a Contracting State derives income or owns capital which, in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, may be taxed in the other Contracting State, the first-mentioned State shall allow:
as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident, an amount equal to the income tax paid in that other State;
as a deduction from the tax on the capital of that resident, an amount equal to the property tax paid in that other State.
Such deduction in either case shall not, however, exceed that part of the income tax or property tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable, as the case may be, to the income or the capital which may be taxed in that other State.
Where in accordance with any provision of the Agreement income derived or capital owned by a resident of a Contracting State is exempt from tax in that State, such State may nevertheless, in calculating the amount of tax on the remaining income or property of such resident, take into account the exempted income or property.
CHAPTER VI - SPECIAL PROVISIONS
Article 25
Non-Discrimination
Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
The taxation on a permanent establishment or on a fixed base which a resident 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 residents of that other State carrying on the same activities. Nothing in this Article shall 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.
Stateless persons who are residents of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in either 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 the State concerned in the same circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, are or may be subjected.
Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 8 of Article 11 or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interests, 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.
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.
The provisions of this Article shall, apply to taxes covered by this Agreement.
Article 26
Mutual Agreement Procedure
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 Agreement, 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 2 years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.
The competent authority shall endeavor, 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 Agreement. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavor to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Agreement.
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.
Article 27
Exchange of Information
The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Agreement or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Agreement insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. Any information received by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic laws of that State, and shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) concerned with the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by the Agreement. 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.
In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
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;
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 (order public).
Article 28
Members of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts
Nothing in this Agreement 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
Amendments
In the mutual consent of the Contracting States, amendments to the present Agreement may be made by the protocols being integral part of the present Agreement, subject to the completion of the procedures required by their laws for the bringing into force of these protocols.
Article 30
Protocol
The attached protocol forms an integral part of this Agreement.
CHAPTER VII - FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 31
Entry into Force
Each of the Contracting States shall notify to the other, through diplomatic channels, the completion of the procedures required by its law for the bringing into force of this Agreement. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of the later of these notifications and shall thereupon have effect as follows:
in respect of taxes withheld at source, to amount which is paid or credited on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the Agreement enters into force;
in respect of other taxes on income and taxes on property, to taxes chargable for any taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the Agreement enters into force.
Article 32
Termination
This Agreement shall remain in force until terminated by one of the Contracting States. Either Contracting State may terminate the Agreement, through diplomatic channels, by giving notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year beginning after the expiry of five years from the date of entry into force of the Agreement. In such event, the Agreement shall cease to have effect as follows:
in respect of taxes withheld at source, to amount which is paid or credited on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice of termination is given;
in respect of other taxes on income and taxes on property, to taxes chargable for any taxable year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following that in which the notice of termination is given.
In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.
Done in two identical originals at Tashkent this 30th day of March of the year 2009 (corresponding to 3rd Rabee A'Thani 1430) in the Arabic, Uzbek and English languages, all texts being equally authentic. In the case of any divergence between Uzbek and Arabic texts, the English text shall prevail.
About This Tax Treaty
This Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between UAE and Uzbekistan provides:
- Elimination of double taxation on income and capital
- Prevention of tax evasion and avoidance
- Clear residence rules for tax purposes
- Reduced withholding taxes on cross-border payments