Following the signing of the Common VAT Agreement by GCC member states, value-added tax (VAT) has become an important step towards ensuring the region’s socio-economic resilience. The new tax regime is a proactive policy meant to diversify the GCC economy, bringing fundamental positive changes to the region. Below are some of these transformative effects felt just more than a year after the system’s implementation.

Increased transparency and accountability

VAT is simpler to implement compared to other indirect taxes. It is also more transparent because the system entails that it be levied at each stage of the supply chain. Indeed, higher transparency and accountability levels are among the benefits of introducing VAT to the regional market.

Companies required to register for VAT purposes contributes to the transparency level by enabling concerned government authorities to track businesses and monitor effectively their compliance. This provision also leads to the creation of a reliable and updated database, thereby aiding the governments in their respective economic performance assessments.

Businesses are critical to collecting VAT from consumers. While before they have limited reporting requirements, companies are now required to maintain all necessary records such as tax invoices and make timely report to the government. To comply with their duties under the VAT tax regime, it is imperative, therefore, that they make sure that their relevant processes and transactions are compliant with the provisions of the law.