SAUDI ARABIA. Saudi Arabia approved the National Transformation Plan (NTP) on Tuesday June 7, 2016, as part of Saudi Vision 2030 and goal to reduce reliance on oil. The NTP aims to boost non-oil revenue to 530 billion riyals (US$141 billion) by 2020 through more than 500 initiatives including the implementation of new taxes and increasing government fees and taxes on “harmful products”.
Minister of State Mr. Mohammed Al Al-Shaikh confirmed that the only tax commitment approved so far is Value Added Tax (VAT).
“VAT is one such strategy proposed to diversify as it is a popular fiscal tool considered efficient, cheaper to operate, less open to fraud and less likely to distort investment decisions by businesses than any form of direct tax,” said Justin Whitehouse, partner and indirect tax leader at Deloitte in the Middle East.
Although VAT introduction is just around the corner in the region, the recent Deloitte Middle East CFO survey shows that almost half of polled CFOs still have a “minimal understanding” of the range of impacts typically associated with the introduction of VAT while 93% of them expect to see some level of impact upon their business.
“With the introduction of VAT being a real possibility throughout the GCC region, now is the right time to understand how the tax could impact your business in order to ensure that all of the financial, commercial and operational aspects are covered upfront and to allow communication of the appropriate messages throughout the organisation,” explains Whitehouse.
•As part of Deloitte in the Middle East’s continuous effort to support and provide guidance to firms through tax reforms, the firm has held more than 10 seminars throughout the month of May covering all of the GCC countries.
•Deloitte has also created a series of tools to guide businesses through the current tax reform including a free of charge bilingual online introductory guide about VAT in the GCC, whitepaper, VAT readiness assessment tool, series of complementary seminars, VAT academies and industry focused roundtables.
Going one step forward, Deloitte has also developed “custom-made” support through its VAT review smart (VRS), a low cost online tool, which assesses clients’ readiness for the indirect tax. The tool will then generate a “VAT Preparedness Assessment” document that will set out the business’ current status, what issues it is likely to face, and how long it may take it to be ready to comply with VAT regulations.
Photo Caption: Justin Whitehouse, partner and indirect tax leader at Deloitte in the Middle East
About Deloitte:
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients.
Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a more detailed description of DTTL and its member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. With a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality service to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte’s more than 220,000 professionals are committed to making an impact that matters.
About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):
Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is a leading professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926.
Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through 26 offices in 15 countries with more than 3,300 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has also received numerous awards in the last few years which include best employer in the Middle East, best consulting firm, the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as the best CSR integrated organization.
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