According to local newspaper reports, Saudi Arabia’s Government has approved new tourism visa plans. To begin with visas will only be issued to tourists using authorised tour operators. The announcement comes as the Kingdom looks to encourage more tourism.
Saudi Arabia’s Justice Minister, Walid Al-Samaani has announced the Kingdom’s commercial courts have officially launched. There are three commercial courts in the Kingdom and they are in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. It is hoped they will encourage investment in the country in line with the Saudi Vision 2030. Specialist commercial chambers have also opened in the public courts in several Saudi cities.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister has announced the Kingdom is going to establish the world’s first independent economic zone. The Neom zone will extend across Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, will cost $500 billion and cover 26,500 square kilometres. It will focus on energy and water, mobility, biotech, food, technological and digital sciences, advanced manufacturing, media and entertainment. It will be open to private and public investors as well as partnerships and will be powered by renewable energy.
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Zakat and Tax has confirmed all companies operating an economic activity will be subject to VAT if their annual revenue is at least 375,000 Riyals. The Authority added all companies whose annual revenue exceeds a million Riyals should register before 20 December 2017. However, companies with annual revenue between 375,000 and a million Riyals can register by 20 December 2018.
This week the spotlight is on tax developments in Saudi Arabia, where the Kingdom’s General Authority of Zakat and Tax has approved the Implementing Regulations to the VAT Law. It comes as the Kingdom prepares to launch VAT on the 1 January 2018. The Regulations set out the scope of taxation for certain goods and services, explain registration rules and eligibility of businesses for VAT, zero-rated and exempted supplies, the treatment of imports and exports, amongst other things. Decision of the Board of Directors of the General Authority of Zakat and Tax No. 3839/1438 was Gazetted in Saudi Arabia Official Gazette, issue 4689.
In a related development, the Authority also announced it has extended the VAT registration deadline for small businesses by an additional year. Businesses whose annual taxable supplies of goods and services do not exceed one million Saudi riyals will be exempt from the requirement to register by 20 December 2017. They will have until 20 December 2018 to register now. All businesses whose annual taxable supplies exceeded 375,000 Riyals had been told they were required to register for VAT. However, companies who have an annual taxable supply of goods and services over 187,500 Riyals can choose to register or not for input tax deduction.
Saudi Arabia Official Gazette, issue 4688 contains various public and private pieces of legislation including Saudi Arabia Cabinet Decision No. 706/1438 approving the Regulation concerning the non-disclosure of information for tax purposes according to the provisions of the agreements to which the Kingdom is a party.
Read the gazette here:
http://www.lexismiddleeast.com/doc/4F475341554449343638385F31343338
According to local newspaper reports, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Zakat and Tax is going to allow VAT to be paid in instalments over 12 months. This will be allowed if a person or entity being taxed presents evidence they are unable to pay the tax when due, or are suffering hardship from paying the charges in one payment. The taxable person must send a request to the Authority giving the reasons for inability to pay the tax by the due date. The Authority will confirm whether the request is approved or rejected within 20 days. The arrangement can be revoked at any time if the Authority considers it necessary to protect the public revenues or if the person fails to pay two instalments totalling 50% of the total owed.
News developments
