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DUBAI / WAM
The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) announced the launch of a new field campaign to engage business and consumers in the local markets and raise awareness about the legal standards that must exist when issuing tax invoices.
Organised to cover all emirates, the campaign will run throughout Q1 of 2019, under the slogan ‘Tax Invoices: Your Right and Assurance’. Set to kick off on Monday, the campaign is scheduled to run for three days across the Dubai markets, after which it will continue to move from one emirate to another, with three days dedicated to each of the emirates.
According to a statement released on Sunday, the campaign is part of the FTA’s commitment to increase tax awareness and alert all businesses registered in the VAT system to the importance of submitting tax invoices in protecting consumer rights. The FTA plans to implement the programme, in cooperation with all economic development entities and other concerned entities, to guarantee consumer rights and boost tax compliance in local markets.
FTA Director-General, Khalid Ali Al Bustani, asserted that the Authority prioritises raising awareness among consumers about their rights and obligations in the tax system, in an effort to protect them from any attempts at manipulation. The FTA is also intensifying its efforts to help businesses comply with all tax procedures and obligations, where the Authority considers these businesses to be strategic partners.
“One of our key objectives for Q1 of this year is to spread the culture of using tax invoices for all sales in the local markets,” Al Bustani added. “This campaign will help raise awareness regarding the legal requirements that must be met when preparing tax invoices, and ensure that all consumers receive tax invoices for all purchases to protect their rights. It will also guarantee the country’s rights through the collection of VAT at a rate of five percent, which is one of the lowest in the world on most goods and services, to provide additional financial flows that enable the government to sustain the pace of construction and development of infrastructure towards securing a brighter future.”
“The awareness campaign activities will include two main axes. The first is familiarising consumers with the importance of tax invoices in protecting their rights, which means reviewing invoices to check tax rates and make sure invoices meet all legal standards, and that tax registration numbers are valid. The other is ensuring that registered businesses are compliant with hanging campaign posters, and with the legal standards in all their taxable activities, as well as ensuring their displayed prices include the tax rate to spare them the incurred fines,” Al Bustani added.