The Assistant Undersecretary for Development and Policy of Public Revenues at the Ministry of Finance and National Economy (MoFNE), Rana Ebrahim Faqihi, affirmed the Ministry’s commitment to increasing consumers and businesses’ awareness about the VAT procedures and legal framework, in line with the VAT Law and its Executive Regulations, underscoring the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening consumer protection and transparency.

Faqihi added that the Ministry of Finance and National Economy and the National Bureau for Taxation have dedicated resources towards raising VAT procedural and legal framework awareness, including an extensive series of workshops for business owners and companies that will be subject to the VAT, in addition to directly communicating with businesses to ensure effective and seamless implementation of VAT on January 1, 2019.

The Assistant Undersecretary noted that all registered businesses are required to display their VAT registration certificate, which includes the business’s Commercial Registration number and the VAT registration date, in a prominent place that is clearly visible to consumers prior to levying the 5% VAT, to avoid violations.

The Assistant Undersecretary stressed that all registered businesses are also legally required to display the final prices of all goods and services – inclusive of tax before any sale.

The Assistant Undersecretary went on noting that it is a violation to mislead consumers.

The Assistant Undersecretary concluded by highlighting NBT’s efforts towards establishing multiple communication channels including the hotline 80008001, establishing the email vat@mof.gov.bh, as well as detailing VAT information uploaded on NBT’s recently launched website www.nbt.gov.bh