The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the Lebanese Republic have executed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.
SRO 690(I)/2008Tax treaties
SRO 690(I)/2008 is an Income Tax SRO dated 25 June 2008, listed by FBR as "The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the Lebanese Republic have executed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.".
The text below was extracted automatically from the text layer of the official PDF. Line breaks and table layout may differ from the original, and where FBR scanned the paper and added a machine-read text layer, that layer can contain misread characters. Check the official PDF before relying on any wording or figure.
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GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN
REVENUE DIVISION
FEDERAL BOARD OF REVENUE
----
Islamabad, the 26th June, 2008
N O T I F I C A T I O N
(Income Tax)
S.R.O. 690(I)/2008.- WHEREAS the Government of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan and the Government of the Lebanese Republic have executed a
Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal
Evasion with respect to taxes on income on the 31st August 2005, as set out in
the Annexure to this notification;
NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section
(1) of section 107 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001 (XLIX of 2001), the
Federal Government is pleased to direct that the Convention shall enter into
force upon the exchange of instruments of ratification and its provisions shall
have effect:-
(a) In the case of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan-
(i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of
amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of July
next following the date on which the Convention enters
into force; and
(ii) with regard to other taxes, for the tax year beginning on
or after the first day of July next following the date on
which the Convention enters into force and subsequent
years.
(b) In the case of the Lebanese Republic-
(i) in respect of taxes withheld at source, to the income
derived on or after the first day of January in the
calendar year next following the year in which the
Convention enters into force; and
(ii) in respect of other taxes, on profit and income derived
on or after the first day of January in the calendar year
next following the year in which the Convention enters
into force.
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Annexure
CONVENTION
Between the Lebanese Republic
and the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
For the Avoidance of Double Taxation
and the
Prevention of Fiscal Evasion With
Respect to Taxes on Income
PREAMBLE
The Government of the Lebanese Republic and the Government of the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan, desiring to promote and strengthen their economic co-
operation by concluding a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and
the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income have agreed as
follows:
Chapter I
Scope of the Convention
Article 1
Persons covered
This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the
Contracting States.
Article 2
Taxes Covered
1. This convention shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of a
Contracting State or of its local authorities or its administrative - territorial
units, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.
2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income all taxes imposed on total
income or on elements of income, including taxes on gains from the
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alienation of movable or immovable property, taxes on the total amount of
wages or salaries paid by the enterprises and other similar remuneration.
3. The existing taxes to which this Convention shall apply are in particular:
a) In the case of Lebanon:
(i) the tax on the profits of industrial, commercial and
non commercial professions;
(ii) the tax on salaries, wages and pensions;
(iii) the tax on income derived from movable capital
(such as interest, dividends and the like);
(iv) the tax on income from built property;
(hereinafter referred to as "Lebanese tax")
b) In the case of Pakistan:
(i) the income tax; and
(ii) the Surcharge
(hereinafter referred to as "Pakistan tax")
4. The Convention shall apply also 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 referred to in paragraph 3. The
competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of
any significant changes 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 terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting
State" mean Lebanon or Pakistan as the context requires;
b) the term "Lebanon" means the territory of the Lebanese
Republic including its territorial sea as well as the exclusive
economic zone over which Lebanon exercises sovereignty,
sovereign rights and jurisdiction in accordance with its
internal law and with the international law, concerning the
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exploration and the exploitation of the natural, biological,
and mineral resources existing in the sea waters, sea-bed
and subsoil of these waters;
c) the term "Pakistan" used in the geographical sense means
Pakistan as defined in the Constitution of the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan and includes any area outside the
territorial waters of Pakistan which under the laws of
Pakistan and international law is an area within which
Pakistan exercises sovereign rights and exclusive
jurisdiction with respect to the natural resources of the
seabed, subsoil and superjacent waters;
d) the term "tax" means Lebanese tax or Pakistan tax as the
context requires, but shall not include any amount which is
payable in respect of any default or omission in relation to
the taxes to which the Convention applies or which
represents a penalty imposed relating to those taxes;
e) the term "person" includes an individual, a company and
any other entity which is treated as a taxable unit under the
taxation laws in force in the respective Contracting States;
f) the term "company" means any body corporate or any other
entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;
g) 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;
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 from the laws in force in the Contracting
State;
i) the term "international traffic" means any transport by a
ship, boat, aircraft, railway or road vehicle operated by an
enterprise which has its place of effective management in a
Contracting State, except when such transport is operated
solely between places situated in the other Contracting
State;
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j) the term "competent authority" means:
(i) in the case of Lebanon, the Minister of Finance or
his authorized representative,
(ii) in the case of Pakistan, the Central Board of
Revenue or its authorized representative,
2. As regards the application of the Convention at any time by a
Contracting State, any term not defined therein shall, unless the context
otherwise requires, have the meaning that it has at that time under the law
of that State for the purposes of the taxes to which the Convention applies,
any meaning under the applicable tax laws of that State prevailing over a
meaning given to the term under other laws of that State.
Article 4
Resident
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a
Contracting State" means any person who, under the laws of that State, is
liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of
management or any other criterion of a similar nature. 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 situated therein.
2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a
resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as
follows:
a) he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State in
which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has
a permanent home available in both States, he shall be
deemed to be a resident only of the State with which his
personal and economic relations are closer (center of vital
interests);
b) if the 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 State, he shall be deemed to be a
resident only of the State in which he has an habitual
abode;
c) if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of
them, he shall be deemed to be a resident only of the State
of which he is a national;
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d) if he is a national of both States or of neither of them, the
competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle
the question by mutual agreement.
3. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 a person other than
an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be
deemed to be a resident of the Contracting State in which its place of
effective management is situated.
Article 5
Permanent Establishment
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "permanent
establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business
of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.
2. The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:
a) A place of management;
b) A branch;
c) An office;
d) A factory;
e) A workshop;
f) A farm or any plantation; and
g) A mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of
extraction of natural resources.
3. The term "permanent establishment" likewise encompasses:
a) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation
project, but only where such site, project or activities
continue for a period of more than six months within any
twelve months period;
b) the furnishing of services by an enterprise of a Contracting
State through employees or other personnel engaged for
such purposes in the other Contracting State, provided that
such activities continue for the same project or a connected
project for a period or periods aggregating more than three
months within any twelve months period.
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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 sale of goods or merchandise belonging to the
enterprise displayed in the frame of an occasional
temporary fair or exhibition after the closing of the said fair
or exhibition;
e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the
purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise, or for
collecting information, for the enterprise;
f) 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; and
g) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any
combination of the activities mentioned in subparagraphs a)
to f), 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, where a person-
other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies-
is acting on behalf of an enterprise and has, and habitually exercises, in a
Contracting State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the
enterprise, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent
establishment in that State in respect of any activities which that person
undertakes for the enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited
to the purchase of goods or merchandise for the enterprise.
6. Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance
company, except for reinsurance, of a Contracting State shall be deemed to
have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects
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premiums in the territory of that other State or insures risks situated therein
through a person other than an agent of an independent status to whom
paragraph 7 applies.
7. An enterprise shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment
in a Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that State
through a broker, a general commission agent or any other agent of an
independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary
course of their business.
8. The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State
controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other
Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether
through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself
constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
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 all property accessory to
immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and
forestry, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed
property apply, usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed
payments as consideration for the working of, or the right to work, mineral
deposits, sources and other natural resources; ships, boats, aircraft, railway
and road vehicles shall not be regarded as immovable property.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the
direct use, letting or use in any other form of immovable property.
4. The provisions of paragraph 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income
from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable
property used for the performance of independent personal services.
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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. Such deductions shall be
determined in accordance with domestic law.
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.
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7. Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately
in other Articles of this Convention, then the provisions of these Articles
shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.
Article 8
Shipping, Air, Road and Railways Transport
1. Profits from the operation of ships, boats, aircraft, railway and road
vehicles in international traffic shall be taxable only in the Contracting State
in which the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
2. If the place of effective management of a shipping enterprise is aboard
a ship, or boat then it shall be deemed to be situated in the Contracting
state in which the home harbor of the ship or boat is situated, or, if there is
no such home harbor, in the Contracting State of which the operator of the
ship or boat is a resident.
3. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits derived from
the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating
agency.
Article 9
Associated Enterprises
1. Where:
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 the
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.
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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
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 beneficial owner of the dividends is a resident
of the other Contracting State the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 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. The term "dividends" as used in this Article means income from
shares, "jouissance" shares, or other rights, mining shares, founders' shares
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 States 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 other Contracting State of which the company paying the
dividends is a resident, through a permanent establishment situated therein,
or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed
base situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are
paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed
base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may
be, shall apply.
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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 beneficial
owner of the interest is a resident of the other Contracting State, 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 shall be exempt from tax in that State if it is derived and
beneficially owned by the Government, a political subdivision, a local
authority or the Central Bank of the other Contracting State.
4. The term "interest" as used in this Article means income from debt-
claims of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage and whether or
not carrying a right to participate in the debtor's profits, and in particular,
income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures,
including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or
debentures.
5. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial
owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on
business in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises, through
a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State
independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the
debt-claim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected
with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the
provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
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6. Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the
payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, a local authority or the
Central Bank of that State 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 Contracting
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 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 is a resident of the other Contracting
State, the tax so charged shall not exceed 7.5 per cent of the gross amount
of the royalties.
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 cinematorgraph films and films
or tapes for radio or television broadcasting, transmission to the public by
satellite, cable, optic fiber or similar technology, any patent, trade mark,
design or model, computer software, plan, secret formula or process, 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
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right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively
connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case,
the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
5. Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the
payer is that State itself, a local authority, an administrative - territorial unit
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 Contracting 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 and situated in the other
Contracting State 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 from the alienation of ships, boats, aircraft, railway and road
vehicles operated in international traffic or movable property pertaining to
the operation of such means of transport shall be taxable only in the
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Contracting State in which the place of effective management of the
enterprise is situated.
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 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 purposes of performing his activities;
or
b) if he is present in the other Contracting State for a period or
periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days
in any twelve months period commencing or ending in the
calendar year concerned.
In the cases referred to in subparagraph a) or b) the income may be
taxed in the other Contracting State but only so much of it as is
attributable to the fixed base or is derived from the activities
performed in the period in which the resident was present 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 professions such as physicians, lawyers,
engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.
Article 15
Dependent Personal Services
1. Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18, 19, 20 and 21, 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
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employment is exercised in the other Contracting State, such remuneration
as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.
2. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived
by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised
in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned
State if:
a) the recipient is present in the other State for a period or
periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in any
period of twelve months commencing or ending in the
calendar 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 by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment
exercised aboard a ship, boat, aircraft, railway and road vehicle operated in
international traffic shall be taxable only in the Contracting State in which
the place of effective management of the enterprise is situated.
Article 16
Director's Fees
Director's fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a
Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of a
company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in
that other State.
Article 17
Artistes and Sportsmen
1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived
by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theater,
motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sportsman
from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State,
may be taxed in that other State.
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2. Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an
entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the
entertainer or sportsman himself but to another person, that income may,
notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the
Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are
exercised.
3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1, income derived by
an entertainer or an athlete who is a resident of a Contracting State from his
personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, shall be
taxable only in the first-mentioned Contracting State, if the activities in the
other Contracting State are supported wholly or substantially from the public
funds of the first-mentioned Contracting, including any of its political
subdivisions or local authorities.
Article 18
Pensions and Annuities
1. Any pension other than a pension referred to in Article 17 or any
annuity derived by a resident of a Contracting State from sources within the
other Contracting State may be taxed only in the first Contracting State.
2. The term “pension” means the periodic payment made in
consideration of past services or by way of compensation for injuries
received in the course of performance of services.
3. The term “annuity” means a stated sum payable periodically at stated
times during life or during a specified or ascertainable period of time, under
an obligation to make the payments in return for adequate and full
consideration in money or money’s worth.
4. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1 of this Article pensions
and other similar payments made under the social security legislation of a
Contracting State 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 local authority
thereof or an administrative - territorial unit thereof to an
individual in respect of services rendered to that State or
authority or unit shall be taxable only in that State.
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b) However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the other
Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and
the individual is a resident of that State who:
i) is a national of that State; or
ii) did not become a resident of that State solely for the
purpose of rendering the services.
2. a) Any pension paid by, or out of funds created by a Contracting
State or a local authority thereof or an administrative -
territorial unit thereof to an individual in respect of services
rendered to that State or authority or unit 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 pensions in respect of services
rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or
a local authority thereof or an administrative - territorial unit thereof.
Article 20
Students and Apprentices
1. A student a business trainee or an apprentice who is or was a
resident of one of the Contracting States immediately before visiting the other
Contracting State and who is present in that other State solely for he purpose of
his education or training, shall be exempt from tax in that other State on:
a) payments made to him by persons residing outside that other State
for the purposes of his maintenance, education or training; and
b) remuneration from employment in that other State provided that
such employment is directly related to his studies or is
undertaken for the purposes of his maintenance.
2. The benefits of subparagraph (b) of paragraph 1 shall extend only
for such period of time as may be reasonable or academically or customarily
required to complete the education or training undertaken, but in no event
shall any individual have the benefits of this Article, from the date of his first
arrival in that other Contracting State, for more than three consecutive years
in the event of an apprentice and 7 years in the event of a student.
Page 19
Article 21
Other Income
1. Subject to the provisions of paragraph 2, items of income of a
resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, which are not expressly
dealt with in the foregoing articles of this Convention, shall be taxable only
in that Contracting 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 provisions of
Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.
Chapter IV
Methods of Avoidance of Double Taxation
Article 22
Elimination of Double Taxation
1. The laws in force in either of the Contracting States will continue to
govern the taxation of income in the respective Contracting States except
where provisions to the contrary are made in this Convention.
2. In the case of Lebanon, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
subject to the provisions of the laws of Lebanon regarding the
allowances as a credit against Lebanese tax, the amount of
Pakistan tax payable under the laws of Pakistan and in accordance
with the provisions of this Convention whether directly or by
deduction by a resident of Lebanon in respect of income from
sources within Pakistan which has been subjected to tax both in
Lebanon and Pakistan shall be allowed as a credit against the
Lebanese tax payable in respect of such income but in an amount
not exceeding that proportion of Lebanese tax which such income
bears to the entire income chargeable to Lebanese tax.
Page 20
3. In the case of Pakistan, double taxation shall be avoided as follows:
subject to the provisions of the laws of Pakistan regarding the
allowances as a credit against Pakistan tax, the amount of
Lebanese tax payable under the laws of Lebanon and in
accordance with the provisions of this Convention whether directly
or by deduction by a resident of Pakistan in respect of income from
sources within Lebanon which has been subjected to tax both in
Pakistan and Lebanon shall be allowed as a credit against the
Pakistan tax payable in respect of such income but in an amount not
exceeding that proportion of Pakistan tax which such income bears
to the entire income chargeable to Pakistan tax.
4. Income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention,
is not to be subjected to tax in a Contracting State, may be taken into
account for calculating the rate of tax to be imposed in that Contracting
State.
Chapter V
Special provisions
Article 23
Non-Discrimination
1. Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other
Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith,
which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected
requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same
circumstances, in particular with respect to residence, 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. Stateless persons who are residents of a Contracting State shall
not be subjected in either Contracting State to any taxation or any
requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than
the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of the State
concerned in the same circumstances are or may be subjected.
3. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of
Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less
favorably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of
that other State carrying on the same activities in the same circumstances.
The provisions of this Article shall not be construed as obliging a
Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any
Page 21
personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on
account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own
residents.
4. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 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.
5. 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.
6. Nothing contained in the preceding paragraphs of this Article shall
be construed as affecting any provision of the domestic laws of the
Contracting States regarding the imposition of tax on a non-resident person.
Article 24
Mutual Agreement Procedure
1. Where a resident of a Contracting State 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. The case must be presented within 3 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 endeavor, if the objection appears to
it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to
resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the
other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not
in accordance with the Convention. Any agreement reached shall be
Page 22
implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the
Contracting States.
3. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall endeavor
to resolve by mutual agreement any difficulties or doubts arising as to the
interpretation or application of this Convention. They may also consult
together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in
the Convention.
4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may
communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an
agreement, in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. When it seems
advisable in order to reach agreement to have an oral exchange of opinions,
such exchange may take place through a Commission consisting of
representatives of the competent authorities of the Contracting States.
Article 25
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 of every kind and description imposed on behalf of a Contracting
State of its local authorities or its administrative-territorial units, in so far as
the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention, especially in order
to prevent fraud or evasion in respect of such taxes. The exchange of
information is not restricted by Article 1 or 2. 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. The exchange of information or documents shall be either on a
routine basis or on a request with reference to particular cases or both. The
competent authorities of the Contracting States shall agree from time to time
on the list of the information or documents which shall be furnished on a
routine basis.
Page 23
3. In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as
to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:
a) to carry out administrative measures at variance with the laws
and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting
State;
b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or
in the normal course of the administration of that or of the
other Contracting State;
c) to supply information which would disclose any business,
industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process,
or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to
public policy (ordre public).
Article 26
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.
Chapter VI
Final provisions
Article 27
Entry Into Force
Each of the Contracting States shall notify to the other the
completion of the procedures required by its law for the bringing into force of
this Convention The Convention shall enter into force on the 30th day after
the date of the last notification indicating that both States have complied
with the domestic legal procedures required in each State for its entry into
force. The Convention shall apply:
a) In the case of Lebanon:
i) in respect of taxes withheld at the source to the income
derived on or after the first day of January in the
calendar year next following the year in which the
Convention enters into force; and
Page 24
ii) in respect of other taxes on profit and income derived
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 the case of Pakistan:
i) with regard to taxes withheld at the source, in respect of
amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of July
next following the date on which the Convention enters
into force; and
ii) with regard to other taxes for the tax year beginning on
or after the first day of July next following the date on
which the Convention enters into force and subsequent
years.
Article 28
Termination
1. This Convention shall remain in force indefinitely but either of the
Contracting States may, on or before the thirtieth of June in any calendar
year beginning after the expiration of a period of five years from the date of
its entry into force, give the other Contracting State through diplomatic
channels written notice of termination and, in such event, this Convention
shall cease to have effect:
a) In the case of Lebanon:
i) in respect of taxes withheld at the source to the income
derived on or after the first day of January in the calendar year
next following the year in which the notice is given; and
ii) in respect of other taxes on profit and income derived on or
after the first day of January in the calendar year next
following the year in which the notice of termination is given.
b) In the case of Pakistan:
i) with regard to taxes withheld at source, in respect of amounts
paid or credited after the end of the calendar year in which
such notice is given; and
Page 25
ii) with regard to other taxes, in respect of taxable years
beginning after the end of the calendar year in which the
notice is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their
respective Governments, have signed this Convention.
DONE in duplicate at Beirut at 31st August 2005 in the English language, each
text being equally authentic.
Sd/ Sd/
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLAMIC FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN THE LEBANESE REPUBLIC
Page 26
PROTOCOL
On signing the Convention between the Lebanese Republic and the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the avoidance of double taxation and the
prevention of fiscal evasion, the undersigned plenipotentiaries have, in addition,
agreed on the following provisions, which shall be regarded as an integral part of
the said Convention:
(1) Ad Article 5 paragraph 6
When the activities of such an agent are devoted wholly or almost wholly on
behalf of that enterprise and the profit/loss and the risk of such agency business
are not borne by him, he will not be considered an agent of an independent
status within the meaning of this paragraph.
(2) Ad Article 10 paragraph 3
A “jouissance share” is a share whose par value is paid to the
shareholder by the company during its life, and whose owner enjoys all the rights
pertaining to the share with the exception of redeeming its par value upon the
dissolution and liquidation of the company.
(3) Ad Article 22 paragraphs 2 and 3
The phrases: “subject to the provisions of the laws of Lebanon regarding
the allowances as a credit against Lebanese tax” and “subject to the provisions
of the laws of Pakistan regarding the allowances as a credit against Pakistan tax”
do not infringe the principle of allowance, but are related to the procedures and
the enforcement of allowance.
DONE in duplicate Beirut at 31st August 2005 in the English language, each text
being equally authentic.
Sd/ Sd/
FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE ISLAMIC FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF
REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN THE LEBANESE REPUBLIC
[C.No.2(85)Int.Taxes/62 (Leb-DTA)]
(Usman Khalid Mirza)
Additional Secretary/Member (Direct Taxes)
Related Income Tax SROs on tax treaties
- SRO 940(I)/200927 October 2009Agreement for avoidance of double taxation between Pakistan & Morocco.
- SRO 820(I)/200924 September 2009Agreement for avoidance of double taxation between Pakistan & Bahrain.
- SRO 1290(I)/200820 December 2008Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Swiss Federal Council have signed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation.
- SRO 1138(I)/20081 November 2008Pakistan and the Government of Japan have signed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income on the 23rd January 2008
- SRO 1264(I)/200620 December 2006SAARC Limited Multilateral Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters was signed on November 13, 2005,
- SRO 1194(I)/200615 November 2006Government Pakistan and the Government Saudi Arabia have executed a Convention for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Tax Evasion