Federal Tax Authority to conduct 40 events in 6 months to raise awareness of corporate tax compliance requirements

The Federal Tax Authority has intensified its activities and events this year, dedicated to raising awareness of the importance, objectives, mechanisms and requirements for compliance with the Corporate Tax Law, which came into effect last year and applies to fiscal years beginning on or after June 1, 2023.

The Authority revealed in a press statement today that the number of beneficiaries of corporate tax awareness events and activities rose to 8.22 thousand participants in the in-person events, which included all the emirates of the country, and via remote video communication technology, which were organized by the Authority during the first six months of 2024, compared to 7.52 thousand participants in the same period in 2023, an increase of 9.23%.

The Authority confirmed the increase in turnout and interaction with corporate tax awareness activities, noting that the surveys conducted by the Authority showed that the satisfaction rate of participants in these activities jumped to 97.5% during the first half of this year, compared to a satisfaction rate of 93% in the same period last year.

She pointed out that a large number of awareness programs and activities have been created to introduce corporate tax and related topics, to meet the tax knowledge requirements of business sectors, explaining that the number of awareness events implemented by the Authority during the first six months of this year witnessed a significant expansion and rose to 40 diverse in-person and virtual events, compared to 17 events in the same period in 2023, an increase of 135.29

His Excellency Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the Federal Tax Authority, said: “This expansion and diversity in corporate tax awareness activities comes within the framework of the Authority’s keenness to spread tax culture, in general, and in particular, to introduce corporate tax among all categories and levels of the business sectors concerned by all means, and through various possible channels, without spending time and effort to communicate with the Authority.”

He added, “The Authority continues its efforts to expand the scope of beneficiaries of corporate tax awareness activities, by organizing in-person workshops across the country, in conjunction with providing an integrated set of virtual workshops via the Authority’s website, which provides many guides, videos, drawings and explanatory materials on the legislation, decisions and procedures related to corporate tax, in completion of the comprehensive plan that the Authority began implementing, since the announcement of the implementation of corporate tax in 2022.”

He explained, “The Authority has intensified its efforts at all levels, in cooperation with the competent authorities, to ensure the efficiency, accuracy and smoothness of the procedures for implementing the Federal Decree-Law on Corporate and Business Tax, as the Authority places among its priorities helping business sectors comply with tax systems and procedures with flexible mechanisms, in accordance with the best international practices.”

His Excellency Khalid Al Bustani called on all concerned parties to participate in the events organized by the Authority to raise awareness of corporate tax, stressing the need for those subject to corporate tax to commit to submitting registration applications, in accordance with the time periods specified by Authority Resolution No. 3 of 2024, which entered into force on March 1, 2024.

The Authority attributed the increase in the number of corporate tax awareness events implemented by the Authority, and the significant increase in the number of beneficiaries of these events to the launch of many new awareness initiatives and programs during the current year, and the continued implementation and expansion of the scope of the basic awareness events carried out by the Authority to introduce corporate tax.

She pointed out that among the main events that were introduced in 2024 is the launch of the second phase of the Authority’s comprehensive awareness campaign to spread awareness of corporate tax among business sectors that address various and specialized tax topics, through awareness programs designed and directed to suit each of the main categories concerned, relying on the latest technologies used in this field to ensure easy access to information for taxpayers, and supporting and encouraging the business community to implement the Corporate Tax Law efficiently and accurately.

She said that in this context, the first half of 2024 witnessed the implementation of 6 focus group workshops on corporate tax services, and a number of focus group workshops were organized to eliminate bureaucracy related to corporate tax, in addition to a group of virtual workshops to clarify the latest developments in corporate tax.

She explained that the most prominent topics that were focused on during the awareness events related to corporate tax during the first half of this year were: registration for corporate tax, the decision of the Federal Tax Authority regarding the specified periods for submitting applications for registration of taxable persons in accordance with the Federal Decree-Law on Corporate and Business Tax and its amendments, the establishment of tax groups, the general principles of corporate tax, registration for free zone companies, and services related to corporate tax available through the “Emirates Tax” digital platform for tax services.