Convention Between The Government Of The Italian Republic And The Government Of The Republic Of Latvia For The Avoidance Of Double Taxation With Respect To Taxes On Income And On Capital And The Prevention Of Fiscal Evasion

The Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Republic of Latvia,

Desiring to conclude a Convention to avoid double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital and to prevent fiscal evasion,

Have agreed as follows:

Chapter I

Scope of this Convention

Article 1

PERSONAL SCOPE

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

Article 2

TAXES COVERED

1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of each Contracting State or of its political or 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, as well as taxes on capital appreciation.

3. The existing taxes to which the Convention shall apply are in particular:

a) in the case of Latvia:

(I) the enterprise income tax (uzòçmumu ienâkuma nodoklis);

(ii) the personal income tax (iedzîvotâju ienâkuma nodoklis);

(iii) the property tax (îpaðuma nodoklis);

whether or not they are collected by withholding at source;

(hereinafter referred to as "Latvian tax");

b) in the case of Italy:

(I) the personal income tax (l'imposta sul reddito delle persone fisiche);

(ii) the corporate income tax (l'imposta sul reddito delle persone giuridiche);

(iii) the net worth tax on enterprises (l'imposta sul patrimonio netto delle imprese);

whether or not they are collected by withholding at source;

(hereinafter referred to as "Italian tax").

4. This Convention shall also apply to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed 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 which have been made in their respective taxation laws.

Chapter II

Definitions

Article 3

GENERAL DEFINITIONS

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

a) 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 subsoil and their natural resources;

b) the term "Italy" means the Italian Republic and includes any area beyond the territorial waters of Italy, which, in accordance with customary international law and the laws of Italy concerning the exploration and exploitation of natural resources, may be designated as an area within which the rights of Italy, with respect to the seabed and subsoil and natural resources, may be exercised;

c) the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean Latvia or Italy, 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 which 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 "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;

i) the term "competent authority" means:

(I) in the case of Latvia, the Minister of Finance or his authorised representative;

(ii) in the case of Italy, the Ministry of Finance.

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

Article 4

RESIDENT

1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a Contracting State" means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management, place of incorporation or any other criterion of a similar nature. But this term does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income from sources in that State or capital situated therein.

2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:

a) he shall be deemed to be a resident 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 of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);

b) if the Contracting 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 Contracting State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the 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 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 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 having regard in particular to its place of effective management, the place where it is incorporated or otherwise constituted and any other relevant factors and to determine the mode of application of the Convention to such person. In the absence of such agreement, such person shall be deemed not to be a resident of either Contracting State for the purposes of Articles 6 to 24 inclusive and Article 26.

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;

f) a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources, and

g) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or a supervisory activity connected therewith if such site, project or activity lasts more than nine months.

3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term "permanent establishment" shall not be deemed 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.

4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, a person acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State -other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 5 applies - shall be deemed to be a permanent establishment of that enterprise in the first-mentioned State, if he has, and habitually exercises in that State, an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, unless his activities are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 3 of this Article.

5. An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that other State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, where such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business. However, when the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on behalf of that enterprise, and where the conditions between the agent and the enterprise differ from those which would be made between independent persons, such agent shall not be considered an agent of an independent status within the meaning of this paragraph.

6. 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

1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2. The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning which it has under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply. Any option or similar right to acquire immovable property, 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.

3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.

4. Where the ownership of shares or other corporate rights in a company entitles the owner of such shares or corporate rights to the enjoyment of immovable property held by the company, the income from direct use, letting, or use in any other form of such right to enjoyment may be taxed in the Contracting State in which the immovable property is situated.

5. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 3 and 4 shall also apply to the income from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable property used for the performance of independent personal services.

Article 7

BUSINESS PROFITS

1. The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to that permanent establishment.

2. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.

3. In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere.

4. Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude that Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary; the method of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.

5. No profits shall be attributed to a permanent establishment by reason of the mere purchase by that permanent establishment of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.

6. For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and sufficient reason to the contrary.

7. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.

Article 8

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 State.

2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.

Article 9

ASSOCIATED ENTERPRISES

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.

Article 10

DIVIDENDS

1. Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2. However, such dividends may also be taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed:

a) 5 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company (other than a partnership) which holds directly at least 10 per cent of the capital of the company paying the dividends;

b) 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases. This paragraph shall not affect the taxation of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.

3. The term "dividends" as used in this Article means income from shares, "jouissance" shares or "jouissance" rights, mining shares, founders' shares or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the taxation laws of the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the dividends are taxable in that other Contracting State according to its own law.

5. Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company's undistributed profits to a tax on the company's undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.

Article 11

INTEREST

1. Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2. However, such interest may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which it arises and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the interest the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest.

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 2, interest arising in a Contracting State, derived and beneficially owned by the Government of the other Contracting State, including political or administrative subdivisions and local authorities thereof, the Central Bank or any financial institution wholly owned by that Government, or interest derived on loans guaranteed by that Government shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned State.

4. The term "interest" as used in this Article means income from Government securities, bonds or debentures, whether or not secured by mortgage, and debt-claims of every kind as well as all other income assimilated to income from money lent by the taxation law of the State in which the income arises.

5. The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the interest is taxable in that other Contracting State according to its own law.

6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political or administrative subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.

7. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Convention.

Article 12

ROYALTIES

1. Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State.

2. However, such royalties may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the royalties, the tax so charged shall not exceed:

a) 5 per cent of the gross amount of royalties paid for the use of industrial, commercial or scientific equipment;

b) 10 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 for radio or television broad-casting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the royalties are taxable in that other Contracting State according to its own law.

5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political or administrative subdivision, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or 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, as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6 or shares in a company the assets of which consist mainly of such property may be taxed in the Contracting State in which such property is situated.

2. Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other State.

3. Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships or aircraft operated in international traffic by that enterprise or movable property pertaining to the operation of such ships or aircraft, shall be taxable only in that State.

4. Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3, shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.

Article 14

INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES

1. Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that State unless he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing his activities. If he has such a fixed base, the income may be taxed in the other Contracting State but only so much of it as is attributable to that fixed base. For this purpose, where an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State stays in the other Contracting State for a period or periods exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any twelve-month period commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned, he shall be deemed to have a fixed base regularly available to him in that other State and the income that is derived from his activities referred to above that are performed in that other State shall be attributable to that fixed base.

2. The term "professional services" includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.

Article 15

DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES

1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18, 19 and 20, salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.

2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only the first-mentioned State if:

a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not commencing or ending in the fiscal year concerned, and

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

c) the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.

3. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft in international traffic operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.

Article 16

DIRECTORS' FEES

Directors' fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

Article 17

ARTISTES AND ATHLETS

1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theatre, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as an athlete, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or an athlete in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or athlete 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 athlete are exercised.

3. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to income derived from activities exercised in a Contracting State by an entertainer or an athlete if the visit to that State is wholly or mainly supported by public funds of the other Contracting State, a political or administrative subdivision or a local authority thereof. In such case, the income shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the entertainer or athlete is a resident.

Article 18

PENSIONS

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.

Article 19

GOVERNMENT SERVICE

1. a) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political or 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 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 State and the individual is a resident of that State who:

(I) is a national of that State not being the national of the first-mentioned State; or

(ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.

2. a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by, a Contracting State or a political or 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 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 State.

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

Article 20

PROFESSORS AND RESEARCHERS

1. An individual who visits a Contracting State for the purpose of teaching or carrying out research at a university, college or other recognized educational institution in that Contracting State and who is or was immediately before that visit a resident of the other Contracting State, shall be exempted from taxation in the first-mentioned Contracting State on remuneration for such teaching or research for a period not exceeding two years from the date of his first visit for that purpose.

2. The provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply to income from research if such research is undertaken not in the public interest but primarily for the private benefit of a specific person or persons.

Article 21

STUDENTS

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, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.

Article 22

Offshore activities

1. The provisions of this Article shall apply notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 4 to 21 of this Convention.

2. A person who is a resident of a Contracting State and carries on activities offshore in the other Contracting State in connection with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and sub-soil and their natural resources situated in that other State shall, subject to paragraphs 3 and 4 of this Article, be deemed in relation to those activities to be carrying on business in that other State through a permanent establishment situated therein.

3. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this Article shall not apply, where the activities are carried on for a period or periods not exceeding 30 days in the aggregate in any twelve-months period. However, for the purposes of this paragraph:

a) activities carried on by a person associated with another person shall be regarded as carried on by the other person if the activities in question are substantially the same as those carried on by the first-mentioned person, except to the extent that those activities are carried on at the same time as its own activities;

b) a person shall be deemed to be associated with another person if one is controlled directly or indirectly by the other, or both are controlled directly or indirectly by a third person or third persons.

4. Profits derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the transportation of supplies or personnel to a location, or between locations, where activities in connection with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and sub-soil and their natural resources are being carried on in the other Contracting State, or from the operation of tugboats and other vessels auxiliary to such activities, shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State.

5. a) Subject to subparagraph b) of this paragraph, salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment connected with the exploration orexploitation of the seabed and sub-soil and their natural resources situated in the other Contracting State may, to the extent that the duties are performed offshore in that other State, be taxed in that other State. However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if the employment is carried on offshore for an employer who is not a resident of the other State and for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 30 days in any twelve-months period.

b) Salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft engaged in the transportation of supplies or personnel to a location, or between locations, where activities connected with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and sub-soil and their natural resources are being carried on in the other Contracting State, or in respect of an employment exercised aboard tugboats or other vessels operated auxiliary to such activities, may be taxed in the Contracting State of which the employer is a resident.

6. Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of:

a) exploration or exploitation rights; or

b) property situated in the other Contracting State and used in connection with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and sub-soil and their natural resources situated in that other State; or

c) shares deriving their value or the greater part of their value directly or indirectly from such rights or such property or from such rights and such property taken together

may be taxed in that other State.

In this paragraph "exploration or exploitation rights" means rights to assets to be produced by the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and sub-soil and their natural resources in the other Contracting State, including rights to interests in or to the benefit of such assets.

Article 23

OTHER INCOME

1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in that State. However, such items of income, arising in the other Contracting State, may also be taxed in that other State.

2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the recipient of such income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the items of income are taxable in that other Contracting State according to its own law.

Chapter IV

Taxation of capital

Article 24

CAPITAL

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

2. Capital represented by movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or by movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, may be taxed in that 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 State.

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

Chapter V

Elimination of double taxation

Article 25

ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION

1. It is agreed that double taxation shall be avoided in accordance with the following paragraphs of this Article.

2. In the case of a resident of Latvia, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:

a) where a resident of Latvia derives income or owns capital which, in accordance with this Convention, may be taxed in Italy, unless a more favourable treatment is provided in its domestic law, Latvia shall allow:

I) as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident, an amount equal to the income tax paid thereon in Italy;

ii) as a deduction from the tax on the capital of that resident, an amount equal to the capital tax paid thereon in Italy.

Such deduction in either case shall not, however, exceed that part of the income or capital tax in Latvia, 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 Italy.

b) For the purposes of subparagraph a) of this paragraph, where a company that is a resident of Latvia receives a dividend from a company that is a resident of Italy in which it owns at least 10 per cent of its shares having full voting rights, the tax paid in Italy shall include not only the tax paid on dividend, but also the tax paid on the underlying profits of the company out of which the dividend was paid.

3. In the case of Italy:

a) if a resident of Italy owns items of income which are taxable in Latvia, Italy, in determining its income taxes specified in Article 2 of this Convention, may include in the basis upon which such taxes are imposed the said items of income, unless specific provisions of this Convention otherwise provide. In such a case, Italy shall deduct from the taxes so calculated the income tax paid in Latvia but in an amount not exceeding that proportion of the aforesaid Italian tax which such items of income bear to the entire income. However, no deduction will be granted if the item of income is subjected in Italy to a final withholding tax by request of the recipient of the said income in accordance with the Italian law.

b) if a resident of Italy owns items of capital that, in accordance with this Convention, may be taxed in Latvia, the tax on capital paid in Latvia shall be allowed as a credit against Italian tax on capital on the same item of capital. The credit shall not, however, exceed that proportion of the Italian tax which the item of capital owned in Latvia bears to the entire capital.

Chapter VI

Special provisions

Article 26

NON-DISCRIMINATION

1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances are or may be subjected. This provision shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 1, also apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States.

2. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favourably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities. This provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents.

3. Except where the provisions of Article 9, paragraph 7 of Article 11, or paragraph 6 of Article 12, apply, interest, royalties and other disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State. Similarly, any debts of an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable capital of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been contracted to a resident of the first-mentioned State.

4. Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises of the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.

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

Article 27

MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE

1. Where a person considers that the actions of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those States, present his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which he is a resident or, if his case comes under paragraph 1 of Article 26, to that of the Contracting State of which he is a national. The case must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Convention.

2. The competent authority shall endeavour, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with the Convention.

3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavour to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the interpretation or application of the Convention.

4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. When it seems advisable in order to reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions, such exchange may take place through a Commission consisting of representatives of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.

Article 28

EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

1. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is necessary for carrying out the provisions of this Convention or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by this Convention insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention as well as to prevent fiscal evasion. The exchange of information is not restricted by Article 1. Any information received by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic laws of that State and shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) involved in the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes covered by the Convention. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions.

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

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

b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;

c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).

Article 29

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 30

LIMITATION OF BENEFITS

1. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Convention, a resident of a Contracting State shall not receive the benefit of any reduction in or exemption from taxes provided for in this Convention by the other Contracting State if the main purpose or one of the main purposes of the creation or existence of such resident or any person connected with such resident was to obtain the benefits under this Convention that would not otherwise be available.

2. Nothing in this Convention shall affect the application of the domestic provisions to prevent fiscal evasion and tax avoidance concerning the limitation of expenses and any deductions arising from transactions between enterprises of a Contracting State and enterprises situated in the other Contracting State, if the main purpose or one of the main purposes of the creation of such enterprises or of the transactions undertaken between them, was to obtain the benefits under this Convention, that would not otherwise be available.

Article 31

REFUNDS

1. Taxes withheld at the source in a Contracting State will be refunded by request of the taxpayer or of the State of which he is a resident if the right to collect the said taxes is affected by provisions of this Convention.

2. Claims for refund, that shall be produced within the time limit fixed by the law of the Contracting State which is obliged to carry out the refund, shall be accompanied by an official certificate of the Contracting State of which the taxpayer is a resident certifying the existence of the conditions required for being entitled to the application of the allowances provided for by this Convention.

3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall by mutual agreement settle the mode of application of this Article, in accordance with the provisions of Article 27 of this Convention.

Chapter VII

Final provisions

Article 32

ENTRY INTO FORCE

1. This Convention shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be exchanged at as soon as possible.

2. The Convention shall enter into force on the date of the exchange of instruments of ratification and its provisions shall have effect:

a) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to amounts of income paid on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which the Convention enters into force;

b) in respect of other taxes on income, and taxes on capital, for taxes chargeable for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which the Convention enters into force.

Article 33

TERMINATION

This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Convention, through diplomatic channels, by giving written notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect:

a) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to amounts of income paid on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice is given;

b) in respect of other taxes on income, and taxes on capital, for taxes chargeable for any fiscal year beginning on or after the first day of January in the calendar year next following the year in which the notice is given.

In witness whereof the undersigned, duly authorised thereto, have signed this Convention.

Done in duplicate at Riga this 21 day of May 1997, in the Italian, Latvian and English languages, all three texts being equally authentic. In the case of divergence of interpretation the English text shall prevail.

For the Government of For the Government of

the Italian Republic the Republic of Latvia

Patrizia Troia Valdis Birkavs

Additional Protocol

to the Convention between the Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Republic of Latvia for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital and the prevention of fiscal evasion.

At the signing of the Convention concluded today between the Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Republic of Latvia for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and on capital and the prevention of fiscal evasion the undersigned have agreed upon the following additional provisions which shall form an integral part of the said Convention.

It is understood that:

a) with reference to Article 4, paragraph 1, for the purposes of this Convention a Contracting State, its political or administrative subdivisions or local authorities thereof, shall be considered to be a resident of that State;

b) with reference to Article 5, paragraph 2, sub-paragraph g), it is understood that if Latvia agreed in a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation with another State which at January 1, 1996 is a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) a duration of more than nine months or a definition of the above mentioned provisions which narrows the notion of permanent establishment for the same duration period set out in the said Article 5, both Contracting States would enter into negotiations after the date on which the provisions providing for a period of more than nine months or the narrower definition becomes applicable in order to modify accordingly the corresponding provisions;

c) with reference to Article 5, paragraph 4, a person shall be deemed to be a permanent establishment of an enterprise in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, unless the activities are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 3 of the said Article 5;

d) with reference to Article 6, paragraph 3, all income and gains from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in a Contracting State, may be taxed in accordance with the provisions of Article 13;

e) with reference to Article 7, paragraph 3, the term "expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the permanent establishment" means those deductible expenses directly relating to the business of the permanent establishment;

f) with reference to Article 8, an enterprise of a Contracting State deriving profits from the operation of ships and aircraft in international traffic shall not be subject to any local income tax imposed in the other Contracting State;

g) with reference to Article 9, if a redetermination has been made by one Contracting State with respect to a person, the other Contracting State shall, to the extent it agrees that such redetermination reflects arrangements or conditions which would be made between independent persons, make appropriate adjustments with respect to persons who are related to such person and are subject to the taxing jurisdiction of the other State. Any such adjustment shall be made only in accordance with the mutual agreement procedure provided for by Article 27 and with paragraph k) of this Additional Protocol;

h) with reference to paragraph 4 of Article 10, paragraph 5 of Article 11, paragraph 4 of Article 12 and paragraph 2 of Article 23, the last sentence shall not be construed as being contrary to the principles embodied in Articles 7 and 14 of this Convention;

I) with reference to paragraph 4 of Article 11, income from government securities, bonds or debentures include premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures;

j) with reference to Article 12, if in any convention for the avoidance of double taxation concluded by Latvia with a third State, being a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) at the date of signature of this Convention, Latvia after that date would agree to exclude any kind of rights or property from the definition contained in paragraph 3 of this Article or exempt royalties arising in Latvia from Latvian tax on royalties or to limit the rates of tax provided in paragraph 2, such definiton or exemption or lower rate shall automatically apply as if it had been specified in paragraph 3 or paragraph 2, respectively;

k) with reference to paragraph 1 of Article 27, the expression `'irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law'' means that the mutual agreement procedure is not alternative with the national contentious proceedings which shall be, in any case, preventively initialled, when the claim is related with an assessment of the taxes not in accordance with this Convention;

l) the provisions of paragraph 3 of Article 31, shall not affect the competent authorities of the Contracting States from the carrying out, by mutual agreement, of other practices for the allowance of the reductions for taxation purposes provided for in this Convention.

Done in duplicate at Riga this 21 day of May 1997, in the Italian, Latvian and English languages, all three texts being equally authentic. In the case of divergence of interpretation the English text shall prevail.

For the Government of the Italian Republic Patrizia Troia

For the Government of the Republic of Latvia Valdis Birkavs