As the Federal Tax Authority, FTA, marks 500 days of the Value Added Tax, VAT, in the UAE, Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director-General of the FTA, revealed that the rates of compliance with tax laws and procedures have increased exponentially among all taxable businesses.

The tax came into effect on 1st January, 2018, at a rate of five percent on the supply of most goods and services.

In a press statement issued by the authority, Al Bustani added, “Compliance was made possible through the seamless, flexible, and clear procedures the FTA has rolled out through electronic, fully paperless systems that are among the most advanced of their kind in the world, underpinned by a sophisticated legislative environment that meets the highest standards in the field.”

“The FTA implemented an easy-to-use system for submitting tax returns and paying taxes via the e-Services portal, available 24/7 on the FTA’s official website,” he added.

Al Bustani said that as part of the authority’s efforts to manage and collect federal taxes, various tax refund mechanisms have been launched for legally eligible groups to recover VAT, including the Tax Refunds for Tourists schemes, of which nearly 8,110 transactions were processed on a daily basis.