VAT’s UP

Oman’s ruler expected to approve VAT to boost economy

  • Share:

03 Sept, 2020– Oman’s legislature is proposing to implement a value-added tax after January 2022 as falling oil revenue pressures its finances, following similar moves by Gulf Arab neighbours.

A joint committee of the State Council and Shura Council suggested the time frame and sent a draft law for approval to Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al Said. He took power in January vowing to take steps to bolster the near $80 billion economy that his predecessor had sidestepped.

Oman would become the fourth of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s six states to collect VAT, a move agreed by the bloc years ago. The UAE imposed a 5 per cent VAT in 2018 on most goods and services.