The implementation of Valued Added Tax (VAT) in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries next year will be a trigger for a massive wave of digital transformation as businesses prepare to ensure compliance with the new tax law, according to a new study by Oracle and Harvard Business Review (HBR).

You can read the original paper in our White Paper Section.

The study, based on a poll of 450 senior company executives from across the GCC, reveals 73 per cent of businesses consider VAT implementation a key opportunity to initiate wider digital transformation projects within their organizations.

With businesses required to automate their processes to ensure that transactions are captured flawlessly for VAT compliance, 66 per cent of respondents also said they would consider transitioning their business processes from on-premises systems to the cloud if major cost savings can be identified.

With the VAT compliance deadline quickly nearing, the Oracle/HBR study also explored the current VAT preparedness levels of businesses across GCC. While 21 per cent of respondents confirmed that they have initiated preparations to be VAT compliant; 30 per cent indicated that they currently have limited information on VAT.

On their biggest obstacles in their journey to be VAT-compliant, 68 per cent of surgery respondents said managing business process changes would be a key challenge.

This is an excerpt from an article published in the Gulf News. To read the complete article click here.