Oman’s Environment and Climate Affairs Ministry has proposed banning plastic bags early next year. If the proposal is approved by the Commerce and Industry Ministry next year it will be introduced within the same timeframe. It will mean companies, factories, shops and those who use single-use plastic bags will have to replace them with environmentally-friendly ones within one year of the Decision.
Asil Almazid, spokesperson and director of the Public Relations and Media Department in the Authority for Manpower of Kuwait, has announced Circular 26/2019 on giving business owners two months from the date of issuance of work permits to pay the salaries of the workers. Businesses should transfer the wages via bank transfers to local finance companies for their workers who have been recruited from abroad. Almazil has said the Labour Inspection Department is conducting an inspection to make sure that this deadline is being respected.
The Technology and Innovation Committee in the Council of State has discussed a study on the relevance of the Anti-Information Technology Crime Law (Oman Sultani Decree No. 12/2011) to the rapid technical developments and its social and economic impact in Oman. The discussion took place during the first annual session of the seventh term.
Saudi Arabia’s The General Authority of Zakat and Tax has announced that amendments introduced on collection of Zakat from commercial enterprises will be implemented on 1 January 2020. The aim is to make Zakat collection procedures easier and clarify the items that are subject to the Zakat including in the insurance section. The amendments follow the issue of Saudi Arabia Administrative Decision No. 2216/1440 on 7/7/1440 which targets commercial enterprises of Saudis and of the Gulf Cooperation Council entities operating in the kingdom.
The UAE Central Bank has issued a circular confirming that banks can amend the deduction percentage for loan repayment if the salary has been decreased for reasons other than retirement. Banks can deduct up to 50% of the salary and extend the term of the loan, be it a personal loan or a loan for real estate. The circular has also confirmed that if the said loans exceeded the permissible terms due salary reduction, the bank or finance company cannot give the customer more credit facilities.
A group of experts have called for an independent body to oversee public private partnerships in Qatar to be established. The experts made their call during a seminar on Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) which was hosted by the Qatar Chamber, the Qatar International Centre for Conciliation & Arbitration and the College of Law at Qatar University. The body would serve a similar function to competition commissions in other countries.
Oman has signed the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. It aims to tackle offshore tax evasion and avoidance. It provides for all forms of administrative assistance in tax matters: exchanges of information on request, spontaneous exchange, automatic exchange, tax examinations abroad, simultaneous tax examinations and assistance in tax collection. It also guarantees extensive safeguards for protecting taxpayers’ rights. The Sultanate also signed the Common Reporting Standard Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement.
A Kuwaiti MP has submitted a draft amendment to the country’s law establishing the Kuwait Anti-Corruption Authority in terms of the provision on disclosing assets and liabilities. If approved, the amendment will mean MPs suspected of corruption will be immediately suspended and prohibited from contesting the next parliamentary election until a court verdict is issued. It will also mean that if a public prosecutor thinks they have collected sufficient evidence of the involvement of an MP in corruption, they will have to immediately inform the Speaker of the National Assembly and the relevant MP as well as refer the case to the appropriate court. The MP will then be suspended with full pay until a court verdict is issued or the current Parliamentary term ends.
Saudi Arabia’s Labour and Social Development Minister has issued a Decision cancelling the yellow band under the Nitaqat system. All companies which fell under this band will now be transferred to the red band. The Decision will come into force on 28 December 2019. The aim is to encourage businesses to increase Saudisation rates.
Kuwait’s health ministry and the Health Assurance Hospitals Company (Dhaman) have started work to prepare a plan to implement new health insurance fees on expats by the beginning of 2020, according to official sources. The new fee would be KD 130 per expat working in the private sector and the same for each of their dependents. The sources said the new fee will cover medical and radiology tests and treatment. However, the new law does not specify who will be responsible for providing visitors with healthcare, but paying for healthcare of dependents will be the responsibility of the company the expat is registered with. The health ministry is expected to fully support insurance hospitals as part of its plan to force expats to receive medical treatment in private hospitals and leave public hospitals for citizens. Nonetheless, public hospitals are expected in exceptional circumstances to treat expats in emergency cases for specific fees which will be determined in related ministerial decisions.
