Convention Between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Sweden, for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fi
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CONVENTION BETWEEN THE ITALIAN REPUBLIC AND THE KINGDOM OF SWEDEN, FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME AND CAPITAL1. The Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Kingdom of Sweden, desiring to conclude a convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital, have agreed as follows: Article 1 - Personal scope This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States. Article 2 - Taxes covered 1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of a 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, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises, 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 Italy: 1) the personal income tax (imposta sul reddito delle persone fisiche); 2) the corporate income tax (imposta sul reddito delle persone giuridiche); and 3) the local income tax (imposta locale sui redditi); even if they are collected by withholding taxes at the source; (hereinafter referred to as "Italian tax"); b) in the case of Sweden: 1) the State income tax (den statliga inkomstskatten), including the sailors' tax (sj”mansskatten) and the coupon tax (kupongskatten); 2) the tax on the undistributed profits of companies (ers„ttningsskatten); 3) the tax on distributions of a company (utskiftningsskatten); 1 Date of Conclusion: 6 March 1980. Entry into Force: In accordance with Article 30, the Convention entered into force on 5 July 1983. Its provisions have effect: in Sweden, with respect to income derived on or after 1 January 1984, and with respect to tax on capital imposed from 1985; in Italy, with respect to income derived during taxable periods beginning on or after 1 January 1984. 1 4) the tax on public entertainers (bevillningsavgiften f”r vissa offentliga f”rest„llningar); 5) the communal income tax (den kommunalskatten); and 6) the State capital tax (den statliga f”rm”genhetsskatte (hereinafter referred to as "Swedish tax"). 4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of the Convention in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of important changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws. 5. The Convention shall not apply to taxes (even when deducted at source) payable on lottery winnings, on premiums other than those on securities, and on winnings from games of chance or skill, competitions and betting. 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, as the context requires, Sweden or Italy; b) the term "Italy" means the Italian Republic and includes the areas outside the territorial sea of Italy and in particular the sea-bed and sub-soil adjacent to the territory of the Italian peninsula and islands and situated outside the territorial sea up to the limit provided for under Italian laws allowing exploration and exploitation of the natural resources of such areas; c) the term "Sweden" means the Kingdom of Sweden and includes any area outside the territorial sea of Sweden within which under the laws of Sweden and in accordance with international law the rights of Sweden with respect to the exploration and exploitation of the natural resources on the sea-bed or in its sub-soil may be exercised; 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 which has its place of effective management in a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State; h) the term "nationals" means: 1) all individuals possessing the nationality of a Contracting State; 2) all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving their status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State; 2 i) the term "competent authority" means: 1) in Italy: the Ministry of Finance; 2) in Sweden: the Minister of the Budget or his authorized representative. 2. As regards the application of the Convention by a Contracting State any term not otherwise defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of that State concerning the taxes to which the Convention applies. Article 4 - Fiscal domicile 1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "resident of a Contracting State" means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management or any other criterion of a similar nature. But this term does not include any person who is liable to tax in that State in respect only of income that they derive from sources in that State or capital that they own in that State. 2. Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is deemed 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 Contracting 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 Contracting State in which he has an habitual abode; c) if he has an habitual abode in both Contracting States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident 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 deemed 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. This provision shall apply to partnerships as well as to companies deemed partnerships which have been founded and organized in accordance with the laws of Contracting State. 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. 3 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, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources; and g) a building site or construction or installation project if it lasts more than twelve months. 3. The term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include: a) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise; b) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery; c) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise; d) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise; e) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, publicity, supplying information, scientific research or any other similar activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character. 4. A person acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State - other than an agent of independent status to whom paragraph 5 applies - shall be deemed to have a "permanent establishment" in the first-mentioned State if he has, and habitually exercises, in that Contracting State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, unless the activities of that person are limited to the purchasing of goods or merchandise for the enterprise. 5. 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, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.