UAE Federal Tax Authority Starts a Roadshow to Connect With Businesses and Help Them Register for VAT

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has launched a roadshow to communicate directly with businesses subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) that haven’t registered yet, urging them to benefit from the exemption given by the Authority until April 30, 2018, which took into consideration the lack of preparedness among businesses in an effort to promote compliance and help them avoid administrative penalties.

In a press statement issued today, the Authority explained that the new initiative, which went into effect as of early last week and will run until April 24, 2018, is organised in collaboration with economic departments and some municipalities across all seven emirates. The roadshow will see a team of FTA tax experts and analysts, as well as representatives from the Tax Registration Department, go on a tour covering the entire country, organising interactive seminars and workshops to introduce taxable businesses to the three-step registration procedure, which can be completed in 15-20 minutes -when all requirements are well prepared- through the Authority’s official website.

Besides spreading awareness of VAT registration procedures, the FTA explained that the new initiative seeks to listen to taxable businesses that have not yet registered for VAT, in order to identify and address the reasons and obstacles that have prevented them from doing so. The Authority indicated that these workshops are organised in coordination with economic development departments and some municipalities, who invite unregistered businesses to attend these seminars at the customer service centres of each emirate’s department of economic development.

The Federal Tax Authority will announce the tour on social media in order to expand the scope of beneficiaries. The first meeting brought the FTA experts together with businesses subject to VAT in Ras Al Khaimah. The tour will then move on to Abu Dhabi DED on Sunday, April 15, followed by Dubai DED on Monday, April 16, and then two consecutive sessions in Ajman DED on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 17 and 18. On Thursday, April 19, the FTA experts will be in Sharjah DED, before moving on to Umm Al Quwain on April 22 and 23, and then wrapping up the tour in Fujairah Municipality on April 24.

The Authority has called on businesses to attend these events in order to have all their queries and concerns answered by a team of experts, in order to overcome any obstacle preventing them from registering for VAT. The FTA reiterated its commitment to coordinating with local and federal authorities to ensure transparency and a smooth implementation of the UAE tax system that does not affect business operations in any sector.