The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) on January 1, 2018 at the rate of five per cent, while other GCC countries are expected to follow in the near future.

As VAT is new to the region, it is imperative for business owners to be aware and comply with the new regulations in order to avoid stiff penalties which could be as high as AED 50,000.

Seven tips for UAE businesses to avoid financial penalties that may be imposed due to violations, errors or incorrect record-keeping include:

1. Register for VAT

Every company offering taxable goods or services with an annual revenue of AED 367,000 and above is required to register for VAT. However, those with an annual revenue between AED 200,000 and AED 367,000 will have the option to register. The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has stated businesses must register within the prescribed period, and failure to do so could result in non-compliance penalties as severe as AED 20,000. In addition, unregistered companies will be required to stop sales until they receive their tax registration certificate (TRC).

2. Record all transactions

The law requires businesses that meet the minimum annual turnover (as evidenced through financial records) to register and keep a record of all their business income, costs and other associated VAT charges, whilst ensuring all records are up to date. These records will be submitted to the FTA in Arabic.

However, it is advisable for businesses that do not meet the minimum annual turnover to maintain records of all transactions. Supposing the FTA arrange an inspection to determine whether or not your company should be registered for VAT, these records are the only means of evidence to make decision. Otherwise, this may be seen as noncompliance, which would lead to penalties.

3. Collect VAT

Every business essentially plays the role of a tax agent, collecting on behalf of the government VAT on goods and services purchased by their consumers. Failure to collect this VAT may result in up to five times the amount of VAT being imposed on your company that would have been payable for the period in question. While there are still some uncertainties regarding the items subject to the tax, it’s recommended to follow best practices to maintain tax compliance.

4. File VAT return

VAT returns must be filed monthly if your company has an annual turnover above AED 150 million. Businesses with revenue below that level must file quarterly. This can be done electronically through the FTA website. Failure to file a tax return within the specified timeframe will make the business liable for fines.

5. Understand zero rates and exempt suppliers

The FTA has exempted some businesses in priority sectors from tax. Being a zero-rated supplier means that the goods being supplied are still VAT taxable, but at the rate of zero per cent. Therefore, your company is still required to record and report on all supplies. Such industries include real estate developers, jewellery, airlines, schools, clinics and hospitals.

6. Reverse charges

Reverse charges are the amount of VAT one would have paid on goods or services if they were purchased in the UAE. These charges apply when goods and services are imported from outside the GCC. As the business is not required to pay VAT at the point of import. the responsibility for reporting the VAT transaction shifts from seller to buyer (under the Reverse Charge Mechanism). In this case, the buyer reports their Input VAT (on the goods purchased) as well as their normal output VAT (on sales) in their return for that quarter.

7. Get the basics right

A tax invoice must be issued within 14 days of the date of supply. It is mandatory for a tax invoice to include the name, address and tax registration (TRN) of the registrant making the supply. An invoice must have a unique number and date of issue which enables identification of the tax invoice and the order of the invoice in any sequence. Also, it is mandatory for it to clearly state the unit price, the quantity or volume supplied, the rate of tax and the amount payable expressed in UAE dirham should be specified.

We know from experience in other mature VAT jurisdictions that businesses often struggle to address questions raised during audit by tax authorities. This is mostly due to the inability to produce complete documentation that substantiates liabilities and entitlements reported within the VAT return. Due to the transactional nature of VAT, it would be prudent for businesses implementing the tax to put in place a combination of automated processes and tools that can efficiently produce an audit file, upon the request of tax authorities.

Source:www.albawaba.com/business/7-ways-avoid-vat-penalties-uae-1148550

The UAE’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has added three new free zones to the list of designated zones that will be out of the five per cent VAT scope imposed earlier this year.

The new addition sees the total designated zones increasing to 23 across the UAE.

Federal Decree Law No. (8) of 2017 on VAT specifies that any area meeting certain conditions and mentioned in the Cabinet decision is termed as designated zone for VAT purposes and should be treated as being outside the state for VAT purposes.

According to the FTA, the newly-added free zones are Al Ain International Airport Free Zone, Al Bateen Executive Airport Free Zone in Abu Dhabi, and International Humanitarian City – Jebel Ali in Dubai. The treatment of these areas as designated zones was effective from June 18, 2018.

Thomas Vanhee, partner at Aurifer Middle East Tax, said businesses that have transactions in the new designated zones will be relieved that no VAT applies on the supplies of goods inside the designated zones with some exceptions.

“Some businesses in these designated zones may potentially now deregister for VAT purposes. It will be important for them to assess again their transactions in the zone and determine which ones are actually subject to VAT and which ones are not. Although this constitutes an important relief, the transactions with designated zones can be complex,” said Vanhee.

Currently, eight designated zones are located in Dubai, five in Abu Dhabi, three in Ras Al Khaimah, two each in Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain, and one in Ajman.

International Humanitarian City, which is to be the largest humanitarian hub in the world with the most diverse members, has 70 members including nine UN agencies, 48 non-profit organisations and 13 commercial members. Currently, over 45 free zones are across the country.

Exports from the UAE’s free zones totalled Dh225.5 billion in 2017, a growth of 6.6 per cent from the previous year, according to the Central Bank of the UAE data. That amounts to 19.5 per cent of the UAE’s total exports recorded last year.

The UAE houses one of the highest number of free zones globally at 45 with another 10 under construction. Dubai now houses around 30 free zones.

Nirav Shah, director at Fame Advisory, said all companies in the free zones will be able to avail VAT benefits for all goods that were not to be used within the UAE since all transactions within designated zones for goods movement is outside the scope of five per cent VAT.

Technically, Shah said, the Cabinet can add more free zones, because tge VAT law says that free zones with customs-restricted access will qualify for this, so if any other free zone infrastructures are developed and meet this criteria, those can also be included in the designated zones.

According to Mayank Sawhney, director at MaxGrowth Consulting, the Cabinet decision had said earlier that designated zones can be added or removed from the list.

“In the future, more free zones can be added if they fulfill the criteria of designated zones such as custom control, fenced boundaries and controlled movement of goods going in and out of it,” Sawhney said.

He pointed out companies from specific sectors are increasingly looking at moving into one free zone as it benefits them from cash-flow perspective because they are heavily involved in bilateral trade and dealings.

“In Dafza [Dubai Airport Free Zone], there a number of mobile phone companies that are engaged in buying and selling to each other. So, having a presence in one designated zones will not block their cash flow,” he added.

FTA issues more clarification on labour accommodation

Meanwhile, the FTA also issued clarification about the issue of the applicability of five per cent VAT on labour accommodations.

“In the initial period, there was confusion whether labour accommodation is chargeable or not. Subsequently it was clarified by the FTA that labour accommodation is treated as residential property and hence exempt from VAT. In essence, where additional services such as cleaning, Internet etc. are provided as part of the composite labour accommodation service, there is a single pricing and it is provided by the same supplier, it will be treated as residential property and will be exempt from VAT,” said Girish Chand, director at MCA Management Consultants.

He also pointed out that where the labour accommodation is a mixed supply consisting of various elements and it is charged separately, the tax treatment of each component will have to be determined separately.

Source: www.khaleejtimes.com/business/local/More-relief-as-three-UAE-free-zones-are-out-of-VAT-scope–

The UAE is increasingly becoming a hub for FinTech startups by attracting regional and global players to set up shop here.

Attracted by strong support from government-related entities and the adoption of latest technologies by local banks and financial institutions, global FinTech startups have shown keen interest to have a regional base in the UAE to cater to other regional markets.

FinTech startups such as India’s FTCash and FRSLabs, Canada’s Market IQ, Singapore’s Alpha FinTech and Silent Eight and a host of other companies have expressed interest to open an office in the UAE.

“We are actively looking to open an office in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to cater to the Middle East. You need to have a local presence to achieve growth. We are in talks with local partners,” said Deepak Kothari, co-founder, and COO, FTCash.

Singapore’s Silent Eight – which won the Innovation Challenge at Fintech Abu Dhabi on Sunday – is also looking to open a UAE office.

“We came five weeks ago and the first thing we wanted to see in this region is how local banks care about problem statements. We see there is demand for our solutions in this region,” said Martin Markiewicz, CEO of Silent Eight.

Myra R. Ali, head of client relations and strategy, Market IQ, said: “We are looking to open offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We were part of the Dubai Future Accelerator programme earlier.”

India’s FRSLabs, the winner of the Innovation Challenge at FinTech Abu Dhabi, hopes to have an office operational in the next year.

“Not just the UAE, we are also looking to expand in the whole Measa region. We want to have a presence in a place which is not just a sales hub but also a pioneer in terms of supporting the FinTech industry. In this part of the world, we need to have face-to-face meetings due to cultural reasons. We aim to have a presence in one year,” said Shankar P., founder and CEO, FRSLabs.

Ronan McDonnell, marketing coordinator, Alpha Fintech, said the aim is to open an office next year. “In the next couple of weeks, we will be talking to banks and show them the value of our solutions. You need people locally. On average, we have five people in our offices,” he said.

Source: www.khaleejtimes.com/legal-view/banking-laws/global-fintech-startups-keen-to-set-up-base-in-uae