Dubai’s new waivers and reduction in fees of 88 services provided by government entities is part of a series of initiatives undertaken to boost economic growth in the emirate and it certainly brought cheer to the business community.

The waivers and reductions relate to fees for services provided by the Dubai Land Department (DLD), Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA), the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Municipality, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Courts, Dubai Economy and the Dubai Health Authority.

The DMCA waive some fees related to various types of residency visas. Fees will also be reduced on issuance and renewal of annual representative office licenses and replacement of lost certificates and licences, among others.

Leroy Dias, managing director of SteelCorr, said: “The waivers and reduction in fees decree will be welcomed with open arms by the maritime community. It is a sound testimonial to the leadership’s vision of retaining Dubai’s position as a leading global maritime hub. The maritime industry has had its share of challenges with regards to its ship crew changes and onboard personnel vaccinations. So, easing some of the financial burdens is a good token of gratitude to the industry that has continued to move 90 per cent of the world’s goods even during the pandemic.”

The DLD, meanwhile, will waive fees related to replacement of broker cards for real estate agents, and amendment of information on real estate brokers, among others.

Farooq Syed, CEO of Springfield Properties, said: “I believe removing the fees for replacement of broker cards will be a huge relief for companies like ours that have close over 80 brokers as these fees amount to huge amounts. It will definitely make the business more attractive and reduce the pressure on business owners.”

Fees that will be waived by Dubai Tourism include those for tourism permits and replacement of lost tourism permits, tourism permits for people under 16 years, and permits for fashion shows, among others.

Hemali Shah, managing director of City One Tourism and Travel, said: “We welcome this move; the tourism permits are for people who have faced major setback of this interesting times. This move will help boost the events and hotel industry, and it will attract more people to come to the country and helping tourism.”

Dubai Economy will reduce fees related to issuing and renewing licences of business centres and issuance of licenses for providing government services, among others.

Kamal Vachani, group director and partner at Al Maya Group, said: “Dubai’s attractiveness as a business and investment hub is evident with business-friendly policies it has introduced, giving a confidence-booster to businesses. The waivers and reduction in fees is a positive move which would provide a great relief, spurring economic growth in key sectors.”

“This is a great decision… [that] will pave the way for greater ease of doing business and further enhance Dubai’s position as a preferred destination for business. As a company with strong presence in Dubai for the last 15 years, we stand to benefit from this decision as it will ensure more seamless deployment of modern digital networks. Also, our plans to expand our portfolio and market share will get great push with the increased flexibility that comes with this decision,” added Ankit Agarwal, CEO of connectivity solutions business at Sterlite Technologies.

Source:https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/local/revamped-dubai-fees-a-token-of-gratitude

The latest economic growth projection for India is lower than the 11 per cent growth forecast in the ADO in April this year.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday revised down its growth projection for the Indian economy to10 per cent during the current fiscal (2021-22) as it lowered developing Asia’s economic growth to 7.2 per cent this year, citing the resurgence of Covid-19 infections in the region.

The Manila-based ADB said in its flagship economic publication, Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2021, released on Tuesday that recovery was underway in “developing Asia”, referring to the bank’s 46 members, including China and India.

In 2022, the bloc’s combined economy is projected to expand 5.4 per cent compared with the April forecast of 5.3 per cent.

The latest economic growth projection for India is lower than the 11 per cent growth forecast in the ADO in April this year. The bank maintained its growth forecast for China at 8.1 per cent this year and 5.5 per cent in 2022.

However, for the next fiscal 2022-23, ADB has, in the latest supplement, raised the economic growth projection for India to 7.5 per cent from 7.0 per cent estimated earlier.

“Asia and the Pacific’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic continues, although the path remains precarious amid renewed outbreaks, new virus variants, and an uneven vaccine rollout,” said ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada. “On top of containment and vaccination measures, phased and strategic rejuvenation of economic activities — for instance, trade, manufacturing, and tourism — will be key to ensure that the recovery is green, inclusive, and resilient.”

The Covid-19 pandemic remains the biggest risk to the outlook, as outbreaks continue in many economies. Daily confirmed cases in the region peaked at about 434,000 in mid-May. They narrowed to about 1,09,000 at the end of June, concentrated mainly in South Asia, South-East Asia, and the Pacific. Meanwhile, the vaccine roll-out in the region is gaining pace, with 41.6 doses administered per 100 people by the end of June — above the global average of 39.2, but below rates of 97.6 in the US and 81.8 in the European Union.

In Southeast Asia, the ADB revised 2021 growth forecasts to 4.1 per cent from 4.5 per cent for Indonesia; 2.0 per cent from 3.0 per cent for Thailand; 5.5 per cent from 6.0 per cent for Malaysia; and 5.8 per cent from 6.7 per cent for Vietnam.

It raised Singapore’s growth projection for this year to 6.3 per cent from 6.0 per cent, but kept the growth outlook for the Philippines at 4.5 per cent.

For 2022, the ADB maintained its growth forecasts for most Southeast Asian economies: 5.0 per cent for Indonesia, 5.7 per cent for Malaysia, 5.5 per cent for the Philippines, 4.1 per cent for Singapore, and 7.0 per cent for Vietnam.

But it raised the growth projection for Thailand to 4.9 per cent for next year from 4.5 per cent.

“On top of containment and vaccination measures, phased and strategic rejuvenation of economic activities – for instance, trade, manufacturing, and tourism – will be key to ensure that the recovery is green, inclusive, and resilient,” Sawada said.

Source:https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/adb-sees-indian-economy-growing-at-10

Over the past years, the UAE has succeeded in becoming one of the world’s most successful countries in attracting foreign investment due to a range of factors and incentives that earned it its status as a preferred destination for investors.

The UAE boasts a vibrant and prosperous business environment that excels at attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), as it is supported by a legal and legislative infrastructure that protects foreign capital.

In his statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Mustafa Hemani, CEO of the Hemani Group and director of the Pakistan Business Council, stressed that the UAE is the land of promising investment opportunities, as it is powered by the vision of its wise leadership, which helped position it among the world’s fastest growing economies.

Hemani also pointed out that he has lived in Dubai for 36 years and his business in the herbs and spices trade continues to see year-on-year growth, adding that his company trades over 1,000 products and imports herbs from over 83 countries.

Since coming to Dubai in 1995, the Hemani Group now has grown to incorporate five companies in Pakistan, in addition to its headquarters and retail offices in the emirate and a sales office in the United States, he added, noting that the company has over 1,500 employees.

Hemani commended the UAE leadership’s support of investors, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, affirming that the country has successfully dealt with the pandemic and held major conferences, exhibitions and events, while maintaining precautionary measures.

Expo 2020 Dubai, which will be held this year, will undoubtedly be a success thanks to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, he stressed.

The Pakistan Business Council always strives to strengthen the bilateral trade between the UAE and Pakistan, Hemani said, noting that there are many alluring investment opportunities in the UAE, especially as it is one of the safest countries in the world.

He lauded the UAE’s new residency laws, as well as the laws allowing foreigners to fully own businesses in the country, a step that will surely impact the business community positively and boost investor confidence.

Source:https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/local/uae-a-preferred-destination-for-investors-director-of-pakistan-business-council

The MoE, in cooperation with the concerned licensing authorities in the country, announced that it has already begun implementing the first phase of administrative penalties.

Imposition of fines up to Dh100,000 and other penalties for non-compliance with the “ultimate beneficiary owner (UBO) procedures” will begin from July 8, the Ministry of Economy (MoE), warned on Monday.

The MoE, in cooperation with the concerned licensing authorities in the country, announced that it has already begun implementing the first phase of administrative penalties, including written warnings to non-compliant establishments from July 1, 2021.

The ministry said the implementation of the second phase of administrative penalties on establishments that fail to adopt the necessary measures to correct their status during this period will start on Thursday. In this phase, fines stipulated by Cabinet Resolution No.53 of 2021 will be imposed on non-compliant establishments.

In a statement, the MoE confirmed that the submission of ultimate beneficial owner data by licensed and registered establishments in the country to the licensing authorities is an obligatory legal requirement and that non-compliance in this regard will lead to the imposition of administrative penalties stipulated in Cabinet Resolution No. (53) of 2021.

“The penalties begin with the issuance of a written warning and if the non-compliance by an establishment continues, including but not limited to, a fine of Dh100,000, as well as additional administrative penalties such as the suspension of the license for a year or restrictions on the powers of the board of directors. Establishments can appeal against the punitive measures within the specified legal period of 30 days from the date of notification of the violation, in accordance with the decision,” said the statement.

The ministry explained that the detection of violations will be carried out through a desk inspection, which is the examination of an establishment’s records with the licensing authority to ascertain the extent of its commitment to providing the required ultimate beneficial owner data.

“If a violation is found during this examination, administrative penalties will be imposed, starting with the issuance of a written warning in the first stage. Apart from that, field inspections will also be conducted to detect violations, during which, visits will be conducted to offices of the establishments within the framework of the inspection campaigns of the relevant authorities,” the MoE said.

All establishments that have not yet adopted the required ultimate beneficial owner procedures should immediately prepare ultimate beneficial owner data and maintain it within their records in order to avoid violations, the MOE said.

The statement urged establishments’ cooperation with the relevant government entities in supporting the strengthening of the anti-money laundering systems, combating the financing of terrorism and the financing of illegal organisations, and strengthening the overall systems of governance, disclosure and transparency in the business environment.

“These measures enhance confidence in the national economy and support the country’s efforts in providing a safe and stable environment for businesses and investments,” it said.

The ultimate beneficial owner procedures include the creation of a record of the ultimate beneficial owner data and maintaining it within the establishment; verification of the accuracy and validity of the data and updating it on an ongoing basis; and submission of the real beneficiary owner data to the licensing authorities through the designated channels.

In the event of any changes to the ultimate beneficial owner data of an establishment, the establishment is required to notify the relevant licensing authority within 15 days about the changes in order to avoid the administrative penalties resulting from that. “The establishments shall also appoint a person residing in the country with whom the licensing authority can communicate with, in relation to the establishment’s basic information, ultimate beneficial owner data and other information,” the MOE said.

Source:https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/imposition-of-fines-on-ubo-violators-to-start-on-july-8