The United Arab Emirates Federal Tax Authority (FTA) processes around 8,110 refunds per day on value added-tax (VAT) paid on goods and services bought in the country, it was announced on Wednesday.

The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, introduced VAT on January 1, 2018, as part of the region’s bid to diversify its revenue streams away from hydrocarbons. Last year, the FTA announced that the Tax Refunds for Tourists schemes, which allows tourists to claim a refund on VAT paid on goods bought during their visit, will be rolled out to all UAE airports and ports and to around more than 4,500 retailers across the country.

In a press statement issued by WAM, the state news agency, Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director-general of the FTA, 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.