• H.E. Khalid Al Bustani: There was a great deal of interest in the EmaraTax platform for digital tax services and the advanced digital 100% paperless system to refund VAT to tourists.

Dubai, UAE:– The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) asserted that its participation at the 42nd GITEX Technology Week 2022 was a success, as the five-day event concluded at Dubai World Trade Centre with more than 5,000 exhibitors from 90 countries taking part.

FTA Director General His Excellency Khalid Ali Al Bustani said: “The Federal Tax Authority’s participation at GITEX Global – one of the largest and most prominent events in the field of information technology – forms part of our plans to contribute to the UAE’s digital transformation and to support the Digital Transformation strategy that aims to make the UAE among the most innovative countries in the world, by providing seamless and proactive digital services. This embodies our government system’s leadership and excellence, and allows customers to complete their transactions easily, quickly, and efficiently, and ultimately ensures customer happiness.”

“The Federal Tax Authority’s stand at the exhibition saw a large turnout from representatives of government entities, national and foreign companies, as well as individual visitors who expressed their interest and admiration for the various services the FTA provides, especially the new digital and smart systems, including the EmaraTax platform for digital tax services, along with the EmaraTax smart application, which we are expecting to launch before the end of the year,” H.E. explained. “The application incorporates the latest technologies used globally in the tax sector, and represents a major step forward towards improving the tax system, in line with the directives of the wise leadership to maintain the UAE’s advanced and internationally competitive position.”

“Our showcase at GITEX Global 2022 also highlighted the advanced digital system for the Value Added Tax (VAT) Refund Scheme for Tourists, which the FTA recently launched with 100% paperless, fully digital procedures,” H.E. Al Bustani explained. “The system is the most advanced of its kind globally and offers quick processing for refund requests and seamless procedures. It was admired by GITEX visitors from around the world, as it offers tourists seamless, fully automated tax refund procedures that can be done with as little as two minutes.”

The press statement went on to note that the team supervising the FTA’s stand at the exhibition provided visitors with detailed information about its digital services, as well as its objectives to continuously upgrade the services provided to its customers, and its commitment to enhancing the efficiency of the tax system in managing taxes and supporting the national economy.

The FTA Director General explained that experts from the Authority held a series of interactive awareness workshops for participants and visitors at GITEX Global 2022 about ‘The Journey to Develop the Tax Refund Scheme for UAE Citizens on Building New Residences’, ‘The Integrated Electronic Tax System’, and ‘The Key Features of the World’s 1st Paperless, 100% Digital Tax Refund Scheme for Tourists’.

The FTA experts gave presentations about the Authority’s plans to expand the scope of its smart services, shedding light on the continuous improvements it carries out to enhance customer experience, in addition to highlighting the advantages that its advanced website offers, including an innovative digital experience, diverse content, seamless browsing with advanced display technologies, and the AI-powered interactive tax assistance service (Chat Bot), which provides direct answers to the questions of visitors to the website.

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The Federal Tax Authority was established by Federal Decree-Law No. (13) of 2016 to help diversify the national economy and increase non-oil revenues in the UAE through the management and collection of federal taxes based on international best practices and standards, as well as to provide all means of support to enable taxpayers to comply with the tax laws and procedures. Since its inception in 2017, the FTA has been committed to cooperate with the competent authorities to establish a comprehensive and balanced system to make the UAE one of the first countries in the world to implement a fully electronic tax system that encourages voluntary compliance, with simple procedures based on the highest standards of transparency and accuracy – beginning from registration, to the submission of tax returns, to the payment of due taxes through the Authority’s website: www.tax.gov.ae