• Tax Registration Transactions Increase to 1.7 Million, up 20%
  • FTA Communication Channels Receive 625,000 Transactions in 2025, While Customer Happiness Rate Rises to 93%

Abu Dhabi, The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has reported significant growth in its operations during 2025, driven by a substantial increase in Corporate Tax registrations, alongside continued growth in Value Added Tax (VAT) and Excise Tax registrations and the expansion of its services. This was reflected in the increased volume of transactions completed across all sectors of its operations, while the Authority further strengthened engagement with taxable persons through its innovative digital channels.

FTA's 2025 Annual Report, published on its website, highlights its achievements and operational results across all sectors of operation, as well as the legislative, procedural and technological tax developments witnessed during the year. The report is available on the Authority's website through the FTA Annual Report link.

The report reflects the Authority's policies aimed at encouraging creativity and innovation, based on a clear understanding of the needs of all categories of taxable persons and a commitment to meeting their aspirations through accelerated digital transformation and strengthening the foundations of a smart tax ecosystem. It also continued to enhance the efficiency of oversight procedures to contribute to protecting markets and maintaining tax fairness.

It also highlights FTA's achievements in digital transformation and its extensive efforts to expand the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies to drive significant improvements in operational efficiency, service quality, transaction processing speed, and the implementation of its various initiatives in this field.

The data revealed that total tax revenues collected from VAT and Excise Tax increased to AED 46 billion in 2025, compared to AED 41 billion in 2024. The number of transactions completed by the Tax Registration Department increased by more than 20%, with the total number of transactions reviewed reaching approximately 1.7 million during 2025. More than 245,000 Corporate Tax registration applications were completed, alongside 98,000 VAT registration applications and 206 Excise Tax registration applications.

The total number of VAT refund requests submitted by tourists reached approximately 1.7 million, while the number of VAT refund applications relating to newly built residences for UAE nationals exceeded 7,000. In addition, 289 retailer applications were submitted for registration in the electronic Tourist VAT Refund Scheme.

The findings indicated that the continuous enhancement of the Authority's services and its ongoing efforts to meet the aspirations of taxable persons contributed to increased engagement through the various tax knowledge support channels provided by the Authority. The total number of transactions received through all communication channels exceeded 625,000 transactions during the year, representing an increase of 12% compared to 2024. The number of visitors to the Authority's support centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai exceeded 21,000, reflecting a 10% increase compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the overall customer happiness rate across all communication channels reached 93%, representing an improvement of 1.5% compared to 2024.

According to the report, the Authority continued implementing its inspection and oversight plans in cooperation with relevant entities to protect consumer rights, combat tax evasion, and enhance tax compliance. During 2025, the Authority conducted 175,500 field inspection visits across local markets in all emirates.

These inspections resulted in the seizure of 29.5 million non-compliant packs of tobacco products that did not carry Digital Tax Stamps and were not registered in the Authority's electronic system. In addition, 7.6 million non-compliant packages of other excise goods were seized, including carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened beverages.

The report further highlighted that the Authority continued developing its awareness campaigns and diversifying its communication channels to increase the number of beneficiaries across all emirates and reach stakeholders within the tax sector. During 2025, the Authority organised 210 tax awareness workshops attended by approximately 122,700 participants.

Throughout 2025, the FTA strengthened its media presence and digital outreach to engage all segments of society and raise awareness of its responsibilities, its diverse and growing services, and its key projects and initiatives. Through its advanced digital ecosystem, the Authority sent more than 65 million text and email messages. The FTA's website attracted 2.6 million visitors, while 2,980 awareness posts were published across social media platforms. Its social media channels recorded notable growth, gaining 48,280 new followers, while the Authority issued 46 press releases highlighting various events, activities, and initiatives.

About Federal Tax Authority:

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.