Increasing Demand for Professional Accountants in UAE Ahead of VAT Implementation

As UAE gears up for VAT implementation from 1 January 2018, there is a growing demand for Professional accountants (CAs) in the business houses for professional consultation and advice that helps them prepare for the new tax regulations. Reports claim that CAs from India especially are in high demand in the firms in UAE as plenty of residents in the country are well-versed with Hindi. Riding this wave, hundreds of accountants from India have already made the Middle East their home for the upcoming months. The businesses in UAE are set for significant upheavals following the VAT implementation as the economy of the country faces a new dawn with the introduction of the taxes that will be implemented in UAE from the first day of 2018. Resulting as a joint decision by the Gulf Cooperation Council, UAE leads the way in the implementation phase while the other countries are expected to follow suit by the first quarter of 2018.

Straight from the horse’s mouth

It has been a busy year for the Indian Professional accountants at home and in UAE with the implementation of GST in the country in July followed by the announcement of VAT implementation in UAE from 1 January 2018. The CAs from India have been much-valued professionals in this sector as following any tax regulation implementation, the business and economic models for trade and commerce have to go through major upheavals. And who better to guide the businesses through these tricky times than experts who deal with such issues every day? It is thus all in a day’s work for the Indian CAs who have temporarily shifted to the UAE as a result of growing demand for expert professional help in the financial and accounting sector, enabling the businesses to understand and find ways to update their operations and strategies while preparing for the upcoming VAT implementation.

The CAs, when contacted, were of the opinion that such a growing demand for knowledgeable financial planners, advisors and accountants in the UAE is largely because the VAT is the first of this kind of major levy that is being implemented there. The businesses in the Middle East are in great need for awareness and education about the taxes and the systems, and hence they are relying heavily on the professional knowledge that they can gain from the CAs. On the other hand, the entire VAT system also takes the consumers into account, as they will also have to purchase the taxable goods, services and products at a VAT-inclusive price. Coming of help for all sorts of queries, from simple to more complex ones, the CAs of Indian origin who are currently in the UAE are offering their professional consulting services to the businesses in the country that require their help.

VAT at a glance

The Ministry of Finance (MoF), UAE announced the introduction of the new law as Federal Decree – Law no. 8 of 2017 that announces the implementation of a Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods, services and businesses. All set for implementation from 1 January 2018, the VAT covers almost all kinds of goods, products and services (unless mentioned under ‘exempt’ in the VAT regulations) and levies a tax on their supplies. Here are a few quick facts about the new VAT regulations in the UAE that is to be implemented soon.

• VAT is a consumption-based tax to be imposed on businesses and consumers with the exception of a few goods and services throughout each stage of distribution and production. Along with the Federal Decree – Law no. (8) of 2017, the detailed regulations and processes of implementation are included in the Executive Regulation.

• The VAT implementation rate is 5% on all goods and services that are listed under the Federal Decree – Law no. (8) of 2017 and should mandatorily be included in the pricing for goods and services following the date of implementation.
• All businesses that supply taxable goods and services to the GCC countries fall under the new VAT implementation laws.

• The businesses having an annual revenue over AED 3.75 million or expected to go over the stated mark by the end of 2017 are required to register themselves under the new VAT regulations with the Federal Tax Authority (FTA), UAE.
• The businesses that have an annual revenue between AED 1.87 million and AED 3.75 million can also register for VAT with the FTA, but their registration has been categorised as ‘voluntary’ for now.

• The VAT laws define the goods and services clearly for distinguishing between taxable (concerned) and non-taxable (exempt) goods and services.

• Apart from the definitions for place and date of supply of goods and services, the VAT laws also include provisions for the tax on industrial samples and gifts, tax treatments of apportionment measures, capital assets, tax evasions, tax adjustments as well as bad debts, and supplies between related parties for taxable goods and services.

• The official date of implementation of the new VAT regulations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia is 1 January 2018 while the rest of the GCC countries are expected to implement the new regulations within the first quarter of 2018.

Although the new VAT rules in UAE are relatively simple, having a professional financial advisor is the best way to tackle VAT-related issues for a smoother transition for your business as the shift requires elaborate VAT calculations and a total reordering of the business accounts that are in tune with the new taxes.

In conclusion

The CAs from India are thus coming of great help to the businesses in the UAE as the demand for more professionals in the sector grows in the country. However, the flipside to this coin is that not all CAs are available as most of the best minds are already engaged in massive consultation projects with large business conglomerates in the country. As a result, some of the medium and small enterprises in UAE are still in doubts about who to employ at this eleventh hour to rescue them from the meandering lanes of new VAT rules and regulations.

The situation thus stands at thousands of CAs from India helping out the large businesses while the small and medium enterprises are still in doubts about the right ways to go to prepare for the upcoming VAT implementation. The best way out for them is to take help from the trusted professional experts online who have a team of experienced CAs onboard and can provide effective solutions for their VAT queries.

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Along with our host of impressive financial advisory and VAT consultation services, the dynamic professionals at Uaevatexpert.ae also strive tirelessly for providing solutions regarding the monitoring, auditing and analyzing of your business model to provide you the best advice and services for incorporating the necessary changes in your business model ahead of the VAT implementation. Our online support personnel are also available 24*7 to lend a patient ear to all your VAT queries and suggest you effective solutions best suited to your business. We take a great deal of care in advising and guiding the businesses in the country to introduce the necessary and VAT-friendly changes in their operations as well as the financial framework. Go ahead and get in touch with us at Uaevatexpert.ae today to give your business the much-needed VAT-friendly makeover!