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CONVENTION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME, AND ON CAPITAL AND THE PREVENTION OF TAX EVASION
The Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
Desiring to further develop their economic relationship and to enhance their co‑operation in tax matters,
Intending to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital without creating opportunities for non-taxation or reduced taxation through tax evasion or avoidance (including through treaty-shopping arrangements aimed at obtaining reliefs provided in this Convention for the indirect benefit of residents of third States),
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
Persons Covered
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.
Article 2
Taxes Covered
1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income 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.
2. 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.
3. The existing taxes to which this Convention shall apply are in particular:
(a) in the case of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
(i) the Zakat;
(ii) the income tax including the natural gas investment tax;
(hereinafter referred to as the "Saudi tax").
(b) in the case of Latvia:
(i) the enterprise income tax (uznemumu ienakuma nodoklis);
(ii) the personal income tax (iedzivotaju ienakuma nodoklis);
(iii) the immovable property tax (nekustama ipasuma nodoklis);
(hereinafter referred to as "Latvian tax").
4. The provisions of this Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes that are imposed by either Contracting State after the date of signature of this Convention in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of any significant changes that have been made in their respective taxation laws.
Article 3
General Definitions
1. For the purposes of this Convention, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) the term "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" means the territory of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which also includes the area outside the territorial waters, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia exercises its sovereign and jurisdictional rights in their waters, sea bed, sub-soil and natural resources by virtue of its law and international law;
(b) the term "Latvia" means the Republic of Latvia and, when used in the geographical sense, means the territory of the Republic of Latvia and any other area adjacent to the territorial waters of the Republic of Latvia within which under the laws of Latvia and in accordance with international law, the rights of Latvia may be exercised with respect to the sea bed and its sub-soil and their natural resources;
(c) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or Latvia, as the context requires;
(d) the term "person" includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;
(e) the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity that is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
(f) the terms "enterprise of a Contracting State" and "enterprise of the other Contracting State" mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;
(g) the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State;
(h) the term "competent authority" means:
(i) in the case of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Finance represented by the Minister of Finance or his authorized representative;
(ii) in the case of Latvia, the Ministry of Finance or its authorized representative.
(i) the term "national" means:
(i) any individual possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;
(ii) any legal person, partnership or association deriving its status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State.
2. As regards the application of this Convention at any time by a Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law of that Contracting State for the purposes of the taxes to which this Convention applies, any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that Contracting State prevailing over a meaning given to the term under other laws of that Contracting State.
Article 4
Resident
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a Contracting State" means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of incorporation, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature, and also includes that State and any administrative subdivision or local authority thereof.
This term, however, does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State or capital situated therein.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:
(a) he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the Contracting State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to him in both Contracting States, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the Contracting State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (center of vital interests);
(b) if the Contracting State in which he has his center of vital interests cannot be determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either Contracting State, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the Contracting State in which he has an habitual abode;
(c) if he has an habitual abode in both Contracting States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the Contracting State of which he is a national;
(d) if he is a national of both Contracting States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to settle the question by mutual agreement, taking into consideration that the place of effective management is one of the main criteria in this case.
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:
(a) a place of management;
(b) a branch;
(c) an office;
(d) a factory;
(e) a workshop, and
(f) any place of extraction of natural resources.
3. The term "permanent establishment" also includes:
(a) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project, or supervisory activities, in connection therewith, but only where such site, project or activities continue for a period of more than 183 days;
(b) the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an enterprise through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise for such purpose, but only where activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within a Contracting State for a period or periods exceeding in the aggregate 183 days within any 12-month period.
4. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include:
(a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;
(b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery;
(c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;
(d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;
(e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character;
(f) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in subparagraphs (a) to (e), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
5. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article but subject to the provisions of paragraph 6 of this Article, where a person is acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise and:
(a) habitually concludes contracts, or habitually plays the principal role leading to the conclusion of contracts that are routinely concluded without material modification by the enterprise, and these contracts are in the name of the enterprise, or for the transfer of the ownership of, or for the granting of the right to use, property owned by that enterprise or that the enterprise has the right to use; or for the provision of services by that enterprise; or
(b) habitually maintains in that State a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise from which he regularly delivers goods or merchandise on behalf of the enterprise, and effects in that State sales related activities contributing to the sales of such goods or merchandise
that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in that Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 4 of this Article 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.
6. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that other State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.
7. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself 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 Contracting 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. This term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources. Ships and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article 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 of this Article 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 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.
3. In the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the 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 income from debt-claims with regard to 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 income from debt-claims with regard to moneys lent to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Nothing in this Article shall affect the operation of any law of a Contracting State relating to tax imposed on income derived by non-residents from insurance activities provided that if the relevant law in force in either Contracting State at the date of signature of this Convention is varied (otherwise than in minor respects so as not to affect its general character) the Contracting States shall consult with each other with a view to agreeing to any amendment of this paragraph as may be appropriate.
Article 8
Shipping and Air Transport
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 Contracting State.
2. For the purposes of this Article, profits of an enterprise from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic include:
(a) profits from the rental on a full (time or voyage) basis of ships or aircraft, used in international transport;
(b) profits from the rental on a bareboat basis of ships or aircraft; and
(c) profits from the use, or rental of containers (including trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers) used for the transport of goods or merchandise;
where such rental or such use, as the case may be, is incidental to the operation of ships or aircraft by the enterprise in international traffic.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.
Article 9
Associated Enterprises
1. Where:
(a) an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, or
(b) the same persons participate directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the other Contracting State,
and in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial or financial relations which differ from those which would be made between independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by reason of those conditions, have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed accordingly.
2. Where a Contracting State includes in the profits of an enterprise of that State - and taxes accordingly - profits on which an enterprise of the other Contracting State has been charged to tax in that other State and the profits so included are profits which would have accrued to the enterprise of the first-mentioned State if the conditions made between the two enterprises had been those which would have been made between independent enterprises, then that other State shall make an appropriate adjustment to the amount of the tax charged therein on those profits. In determining such adjustment, due regard shall be had to the other provisions of this Convention and the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall if necessary consult each other.
Article 10
Dividends
1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 5 per cent 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.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article, dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State shall not be taxed in that State if the beneficial owner of the dividends is:
(a) the Government of the other Contracting State, including its administrative subdivisions and local authorities;
(b) the Central Bank of the other Contracting State;
(c) any financial institution wholly owned by the Government of the other Contracting State; or
(d) a company (other than a partnership) that is a resident of the other Contracting State which holds directly at least 25 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends.
4. 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.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article 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 of this Convention, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company's undistributed profits to a tax on the company's undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other Contracting State.
Article 11
Income from Debt-Claims
1. Income from debt-claims arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
2. However, such income from debt-claims 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 income from debt-claims is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 5 per cent of the gross amount of the income from debt-claims.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article income from debt-claims arising in a Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in that State, if such income is derived and beneficially owned by:
(a) the Government of the other Contracting State, including its administrative subdivisions and local authorities;
(b) the Central Bank of the other Contracting State;
(c) any financial institution wholly owned by the Government of the other Contracting State;
(d) a company (other than a partnership) that is a resident of the other Contracting State; or
(e) any person that is a resident of the other Contracting State with regard to loans guaranteed by the Government of either Contracting State.
4. The term income from debt-claims 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 income from debt-claims for the purpose of this Article.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the income from debt-claims, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the income from debt-claims 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 such income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14 of this Convention, as the case may be, shall apply.
6. Income from debt-claims shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the income from debt-claims, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the income from debt-claims is paid was incurred, and such income from debt-claims is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such income from debt-claims shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the income from debt-claims, 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 Contracting State.
2. However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises and according to the laws of that Contracting State, but if the beneficial owner of the royalties is a resident of the other Contracting State, the tax so charged shall not exceed:
(a) 5 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment;
(b) 7 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties in all other cases.
3. The term "royalties" as used in this Article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films and films or tapes used for radio or television broadcasting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.
4. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article 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 of this Convention, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.
6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.
Article 13
Capital Gains
1. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 of this Convention and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
3. Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic, or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft, shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
4. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of shares in a company or of a comparable interest in a partnership, trust or other similar entity deriving more than 50 per cent of their value directly or indirectly from immovable property situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.
5. Gains from the alienation of shares of a company which is a resident of a Contracting State, other than those mentioned in paragraph 4 of this Article, and not listed in a recognised stock exchange, may be taxed in that Contracting State.
6. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in the preceding paragraphs shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.
Article 14
Independent Personal Services
1. Income derived by an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that State except in the following circumstances, when such income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State:
(a) if he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities; in that case, only so much of the income as is attributable to that fixed base may be taxed in that other Contracting State, or
(b) if his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any 12-month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned; in that case, only so much of the income as is derived from his activities performed in that other State may be taxed in that other State.
2. The term "professional services" includes especially, independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15
Dependent Personal Services
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18, 19 and 21 of this Convention, 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 Contracting State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if:
(a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any 12-month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned, and
(b) the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State, and
(c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other Contracting 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 or any other similar organ of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.
Article 17
Artistes and Sportspersons
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15 of this Convention, 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 Contracting State.
2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsperson in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsperson himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15 of this Convention, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsperson are exercised.
3. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from activities exercised in the other Contracting State as envisaged in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, shall be exempt from tax in that other Contracting State if the visit to that other Contracting State is supported wholly or mainly by public funds of the first-mentioned Contracting State, an administrative subdivision or a local authority thereof, or takes place under a cultural agreement or arrangement between the Governments of the Contracting States.
Article 18
Pensions
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2 of Article 19 of this Convention, pensions and other similar remuneration paid to a resident of a Contracting State in consideration of past employment shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article, pensions paid and other payments made under the social security system of a Contracting State or an administrative subdivision or a local authority thereof shall be taxable only in that State.
Article 19
Government Service
1. (a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or an administrative 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 Contracting State.
(b) However, such salaries, wages and other similar remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that other State and the individual is a resident of that State who:
(i) is a national of that State; or
(ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.
2. (a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or an administrative 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 Contracting State.
(b) However, such pension shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the individual is a resident of, and a national of, that other Contracting State.
3. The provisions of Articles 15, 16, 17, and 18 of this Convention 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 thereof.
Article 20
Students
1. Payments which a student, an apprentice or a 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.
2. Payments received by a student, an apprentice or a 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 Contracting State solely for the purpose of his education or training and which constitute remuneration in respect of services performed in that other Contracting State shall be entitled to the same exemptions, reliefs or reductions in respect of taxes on income as are available to residents of the Contracting State.
Article 21
Teachers and Researchers
1. An individual who visits a Contracting State for the sole purpose of teaching or conducting research at a university, college, school or other recognised educational institution in that State and who is or was immediately before that visit a resident of the other Contracting State, shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned State on any remuneration for such teaching or research for a period not exceeding two years from the date of his first arrival in that State, provided that such remuneration is derived by him from outside that State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to income from research if such activities are undertaken by the individual not in the public interest but primarily for the private benefit of some person or persons.
Article 22
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 Contracting State.
2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6 of this Convention, 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 Contracting 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 of this Convention, as the case may be, shall apply.
Article 23
Capital
1. Capital represented by immovable property referred to in Article 6 of this Convention, owned by a resident of a Contracting State and situated in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other Contracting 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 other 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 Contracting State.
4. All other elements of capital of a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.
Article 24
Methods for Elimination of Double Taxation
1. Double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:
Where a resident of a Contracting State derives income or owns capital which, in accordance with this Convention, may be taxed in the other Contracting State, unless a more favourable treatment is provided in its domestic law, the first-mentioned Contracting State shall allow:
(a) as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident, an amount equal to the income tax paid thereon in the other Contracting State;
(b) as a deduction from the tax on the capital of that resident, an amount equal to the capital tax paid thereon in the other Contracting State.
Such deduction in either case shall not, however, exceed that part of the income tax or capital tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State, 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 the other Contracting State.
2. In the case of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the methods for elimination of double taxation will not prejudice the provisions of the Zakat collection regime.
Article 25
Mutual Agreement Procedure
1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those Contracting States, present his case to the competent authority of either Contracting State. 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 this Convention.
2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with this Convention. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of this Convention. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in this Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other, including direct communication, for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs.
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 administrative subdivisions or local authorities, insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to this Convention. The exchange of information is not restricted by Articles 1 and 2 of this Convention.
2. Any information received under paragraph 1 of this Article 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 of this Article, 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, information received by a Contracting State may be used for other purposes when such information may be used for such other purposes under the laws of both Contracting States and the competent authority of the supplying State authorizes such use.
3. In no case shall the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
(a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;
(b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;
(c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).
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 Contracting 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 of this Article 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 of this Article be construed to permit a Contracting State to decline to supply information 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
Miscellaneous Provisions
1. Nothing in this Convention shall affect the application of the domestic provisions of either Contracting State to prevent tax evasion and tax avoidance.
2. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Convention, a benefit under this Convention shall not be granted in respect of an item of income or capital if it is reasonable to conclude, having regard to all relevant facts and circumstances, that obtaining that benefit was one of the principal purposes of any arrangement or transaction that resulted directly or indirectly in that benefit, unless it is established that granting that benefit in these circumstances would be in accordance with the object and purpose of the relevant provisions of this Convention.
Article 28
Members of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Posts
Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of members of diplomatic missions or consular posts under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.
Article 29
Entry into Force
1. Each of the Contracting States shall notify to the other in writing through the diplomatic channels the completion of the procedures required by its law for the entry into force of this Convention. This Convention shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the month in which the later of these notifications was received.
2. The provisions of this Convention shall apply in both Contracting States:
(a) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid on or after the first day of January next following the date upon which the Convention enters into force; and
(b) with regard to other taxes, in respect of taxable years beginning on or after the first day of January next following the date upon which this Convention enters into force.
Article 30
Termination
1. This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely but either of the Contracting States may terminate this Convention through the diplomatic channels, by giving to the other Contracting State written notice of termination not later than 30 June of any calendar year starting five years after the year in which this Convention entered into force.
2. In such event this Convention shall cease to apply:
(a) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts paid after the end of the calendar year in which such notice is given; and
(b) with regard to other taxes, in respect of taxable years beginning after the end of the calendar year in which such notice is given.
In witness whereof, the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Convention.
Done in duplicate at Riyadh on 7 November 2019 corresponding to 10/3/1441 in the Latvian, Arabic and English languages, all texts being equally authentic. In the case of divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
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For the Government of the
Republic of Latvia |
For the Government of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
PROTOCOL
At the moment of signing the Convention between the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital and the prevention of tax evasion, the undersigned have agreed that the following provisions shall form an integral part of the Convention:
1. With reference to Article 3, paragraph 1 (d) of the Convention:
It is understood that the term "person" also includes a Contracting State, its administrative subdivisions or local authorities.
2. With reference to Article 4, paragraph 1 of the Convention:
It is understood that the term "resident of a Contracting State" includes a legal person organised under the laws of a Contracting State and that is not liable to tax or generally exempt from tax in that Contracting State and is established and maintained in that Contracting State either:
(a) exclusively for a religious, charitable, educational, scientific, or other similar purpose; or
(b) to provide pensions or other similar benefits.
3. With reference to Article 5 of the Convention:
It is understood that a person that is a resident of a Contracting State and carries on offshore activities (defined as activities carried on in any area adjacent to the territorial waters of a Contracting State in connection with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and its subsoil and their natural resources) in the other Contracting State shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in that other Contracting State.
4. With reference to Article 6 of the Convention:
It is understood that any income 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.
5. With reference to Article 7 of the Convention:
It is understood that:
(a) profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State from the exportation of merchandise to the other Contracting State shall not be taxed in that other Contracting State unless the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 5 of the Convention are applied. Where export contracts include other activities carried on through a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State profits derived from such activities may be taxed in the other Contracting State;
(b) the term "business profits" includes, but is not limited to profits derived from manufacturing, mercantile, banking, insurance, from the operation of inland transportation and the furnishing of services. Such a term does not include the performance of personal services by an individual either as an employee or in an independent capacity.
6. With reference to Article 10 of the Convention:
Notwithstanding any provision of the Convention, profits of a company of a Contracting State carrying on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein may, after having been taxed under Article 7, be taxed on the remaining amount of its profits in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated and the tax so charged shall not exceed 5 per cent.
7. In the case in which the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will introduce an income tax applicable to its nationals who are residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, or the existing tax will be modified accordingly, then the two Contracting States shall enter into negotiations in order to introduce in the Convention an Article on non-discrimination.
In witness whereof, the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Protocol.
Done in duplicate at Riyadh on 7 November 2019 corresponding to 10/3/1441 in the Latvian, Arabic and English languages, all texts being equally authentic. In the case of divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
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For the Government of the
Republic of Latvia |
For the Government of the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
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