ARTICLE 18 　　　　　　　　　　Artistes and Sportsmen 　　1. Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 (Independent Personal Services) and 15　(Dependent Personal Services), 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, except where the amount of the gross receipts derived by such entertainer or sportsman, including expenses reimbursed to him or borne on his behalf, from such activities does not exceed twenty thousand United States dollars ($20,000) or its equivalent in Slovak crowns for the taxable year concerned. Such tax may be imposed by withholding upon the entire amount of all gross receipts derived by such entertainer or sportsman at any time during the taxable year concerned, provided that such entertainer or sportsman is entitled to receive a refund of such taxes when there is no tax liability for such taxable year in accordance with the provisions of this Convention. 　　2. Where income in respect of activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsman but to another person, that income of that other person may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7 (Business Profits) and 14 (Independent Personal Services), be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised, unless it is established that neither the entertainer or sportsman nor persons related thereto participate directly or indirectly in the profits of that other person in any manner, including the receipt of deferred remuneration, bonuses, fees, dividends, partnership distributions, or other distributions. 　　3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer or sportsman shall be exempt from tax by the other Contracting State if the visit to that other State is substantially supported by public funds of the first-mentioned State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof or is made pursuant to a specific arrangement agreed to by the governments of the Contracting States. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 19 　　　　　Pensions, Annuities, Alimony and Child Support 　　1. Subject to the provisions of Article 20 (Government Service) 　　a) pensions and other similar remuneration derived and beneficially owned by a resident of a Contracting State in consideration of past employment by that individual or another individual resident of the same Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State; and 　　b) social security benefits and other public pensions paid by a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State or a citizen of the United States shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State. 　　2. Annuities derived and beneficially owned by a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State. The term "annuities" as used in this paragraph means a stated sum paid periodically at stated times during a specified number of years, under an obligation to make the payments in return for adequate and full consideration (other than services rendered). 　　3. Alimony paid to a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State. The term "alimony" as used in this paragraph means periodic payments made pursuant to a written separation agreement or a decree of divorce, separate maintenance, or compulsory support, which payments are taxable to the recipient under the laws of the State of which he is a resident. 　　4. Nondeductible alimony and periodic payments for the support of a child made pursuant to a written separation agreement or a decree of divorce, separate maintenance, or compulsory support, paid by a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State, shall not be taxable in that other State. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 20 　　　　　　　　　　　　Government Service 　　Remuneration, including a pension, paid from the public funds of a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof to a citizen of that State in respect of services rendered in the discharge of functions of a governmental nature shall be taxable only in that State. However, the provisions of Article 14 (Independent Personal Services), Article 15 (Dependent Personal Services) or Article 18 (Artistes and Sportsmen), as the case may be, shall apply, and the preceding sentence shall not apply, to remuneration paid from the public funds of a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by that State, political subdivision, or local authority. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 21 　　　　　Students, Trainees, Teachers, and Researchers 　　1. a) An individual who is a resident of a Contracting State at the beginning of his visit to the other Contracting State and who is temporarily present in that other Contracting State for the primary purpose of: 　　i) studying at a university or other accredited educational institution in that other Contracting State, or 　　ii) securing training required to qualify him to practice a profession or professional specialty, or 　　iii) studying or doing research as a recipient of a grant, allowance, or award from a governmental, religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational organization, shall be exempt from tax by that other Contracting State with respect to the amounts described in subparagraph (b) of this paragraph for a period not exceeding five years from the date of his arrival in that other Contracting State. 　　b) The amounts referred to in subparagraph (a) of this paragraph are; 　　i) payments from abroad, other than compensation for personal services, for the purpose of his maintenance, education, study, research, or training; 　　ii) the grant, allowance, or award; and 　　iii) income from personal services performed in that other Contracting State in an aggregate amount not in excess of 5,000 United States dollars ($5,000) or its equivalent in Slovak crowns for any taxable year. 　　2. An individual who is a resident of a Contracting State at the beginning of his visit to the other Contracting State and who is temporarily present in that other Contracting State as an employee of, or under contract with, a resident of the first-mentioned Contracting State, for the primary purpose of: 　　a) acquiring technical, professional, or business experience from a person other than that resident of the first-mentioned Contracting State, or 　　b) studying at a university or other accredited educational institution in that other Contracting State, shall be exempt from tax by that other Contracting State for a period of 12 consecutive months with respect to his income from personal services in an aggregate amount not in excess of 8,000 United States dollars ($8,000) or its equivalent in Slovak crowns. 　　3. An individual who is a resident of one of the Contracting States at the time he becomes temporarily present in the other Contracting State and who is temporarily present in the other Contracting State for a period not exceeding 1 year, as a participant in a program sponsored by the Government of that other Contracting State, for the primary purpose of training, research, or study, shall be exempt from tax by that other Contracting State with respect to his income from personal services in respect of such training, research, or study performed in that other Contracting State in an aggregate amount not in excess of 10,000 United States dollars (USD 10,000) or its equivalent in Slovak crowns. 　　4. The competent authorities of the Contracting States may agree to change the amounts specified in paragraphs 1 (b) (iii), 2 (b) and 3 of this Article to reflect significant changes in price levels. 　　5. An individual who visits a Contracting State for the primary purpose of teaching or conducting research at a university, college, school or other accredited educational or research institution in the other Contracting State, end who is, or immediately before such visit was, a resident of the other Contracting State shall be exempt from tax in the first-mentioned Contracting State for a period not exceeding two years in respect of remuneration for such teaching or research. The benefits provided in this paragraph shall not be granted to an individual who, during the immediately preceding period enjoyed the benefits of one of the preceding paragraphs of this Article. An individual shall be entitled to the benefits of this paragraph only once. 　　6. 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 22 　　　　　　　　　　　　　Other Income 　　1. Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt within the foregoing Articles of this Convention shall be taxable only in that State. 　　2. The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from real property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6 (Income from Real Property (Immovable Property)), if the beneficial owner of the income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on or has carried on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs or has performed in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the income is attributable to such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 (Business Profits) or Article 14 (Independent Personal Services), as the case may be, shall apply. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 23 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Capital 　　1. Capital represented by real property referred to in Article 6 (Income from Real Property (Immovable Property)), 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 personal (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 personal 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, aircraft, and containers owned by a resident of a Contracting State and operated in international traffic, and by personal property pertaining to the operation of such ships, aircraft, and containers 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. ARTICLE 24 Relief from Double Taxation 　　1. In accordance with the provisions and subject to the limitations of the law of the United States (as it may be amended from time to time without changing the general principles hereof), the United States shall allow to a resident or citizen of the United States as a credit against the United States tax on income the income tax paid to Slovakia by or on behalf of such resident or citizen. 　　2. In Slovakia, double taxation will be avoided in the following manner: 　　Slovakia, when imposing taxes on its residents, may include in the tax base upon which such taxes are imposed the items of income which according to the provisions of this Convention may also be taxed in the United States, but shall allow as a deduction from the amount of tax computed on such a base an amount equal to the tax paid in the United States (other than solely on the basis of citizenship). Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the Slovakia tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is appropriate to the income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention, may be taxed in the United States (other than solely on the basis of citizenship). 　　3. In the case of an individual who is a citizen of the United States and a resident of Slovakia, income which may be taxed by the United States solely by reason of citizenship in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 1 (General Scope) shall be deemed to arise in Slovakia to the extent necessary to avoid double taxation, provided that in no event will the tax paid to the United States be less than the tax that would be paid if the individual were not a citizen of the United States. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 25 　　　　　　　　　　　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 apply to persons who are not residents of one or both of the Contracting States. However, for the purposes of United States taxation, United States nationals who are subject to tax on a worldwide basis are not in the same circumstances as Slovak nationals who are not residents of the United States. 　　2. The term "nationals" means: 　　a) all individuals possessing the nationality of a Contracting State; 　　b) all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving their status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State. 　　3. The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a 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. 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. 　　4. Nothing in this Article shall be construed as preventing either Contracting State from imposing a tax as described in paragraph 6 of Article 10 (Dividends). 　　5. Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9 (Associated Enterprises), paragraph 4 of Article 11 (Interest), or paragraph 5 of Article 12 (Royalties) apply, interest, royalties, and other disbursements paid by a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purposes of determining the taxable profits of the first-mentioned resident, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State. Similarly, any debts of a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purposes of determining the taxable capital of the first-mentioned resident, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been contracted to a resident of the first-mentioned State. 　　6. 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 firstmentioned State are or may be subjected. 　　7. The provisions of this Article shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 2 (Taxes Covered), apply to taxes of every kind and description imposed by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or local authority thereof. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 26 　　　　　　　　　　　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 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 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 implemented notwithstanding any time limits or other procedural limitations 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 the 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. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 27 　　　　Exchange of Information and Administrative Assistance 　　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 the Convention insofar as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Convention. The exchange of information is not restricted by Article 1 (General Scope). 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, collection, or administration 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 and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State; 　　b) to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State; 　　c) to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial, or professional secret or trade process, or information the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public). 　　3. If information is requested by a Contracting State in accordance with this Article, the other Contracting State shall obtain the information to which the request relates in the same manner and to the same extent as if the tax of the first-mentioned State were the tax of that other State and were being imposed by that other State. If specifically requested by the competent authority of a Contracting State, the competent authority of the other Contracting State shall provide information under this Article in the form of depositions of witnesses and authenticated copies of unedited original documents (including books, papers, statements, records, accounts, and writings), to the same extent such depositions and documents can be obtained under the laws and administrative practices of that other State with respect to its own taxes. 　　4. For the purposes of this Article, the Convention shall apply, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 2 (Taxes Covered), to taxes of every kind imposed by a Contracting State. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 28 　　　　　　Diplomatic Agents and Consular Officers 　　Nothing in this Convention shall affect the fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 29 　　　　　　　　　　　　Entry into Force 　　1. This Convention shall be subject to ratification in accordance with the applicable procedures of each Contracting State and instruments of ratification shall be exchanged at Washington, D.C. as soon as possible. 　　2. The Convention shall enter into force upon the exchange of instruments of ratification and its provisions shall have effect: 　　a) in respect of taxes withheld at source, for amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of the second month next following the date on which the Convention enters into force; 　　b) in respect of other taxes, for taxable periods beginning on or after the first day of January of the year in which the Convention enters into force. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ARTICLE 30 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Termination 　　1. This Convention shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting　State may terminate the Convention at any time after 5 years from the date on which the Convention enters into force, provided that at least 6-months prior notice of termination has been given through diplomatic channels. In such event, the Convention shall cease to have effect: 　　a) in respect of taxes withheld at source, for amounts paid or credited on or after the first day of January next following the expiration of the 6- month period; 　　b) in respect of other taxes, for taxable periods beginning on or after the first day of January next following the expiration of the 6-month period. 　　IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto, have signed this Convention. 　　DONE at Bratislava, in duplicate, in the English and Slovak languages, both texts being equally authentic, this 8th day of October 1993. FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: FOR THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC (s) Eleanor Bly Sutter (s) Julius Toth