Gulf News, Wednesday, May 17, 2023 | Shawwal 27, 1444
AH
UAE FTA classifies tax agents based on economic sector to ease compliance for tax payers
Dubai: The 'tax agents' have been classified by the Federal Tax Authority to
work on compliance measures for taxpayers. A flexible and clear online procedure
has been brought in for tax payers to select a specialised tax agent suitable to
the sector their economic activity falls under.
A list of 10 sectors have been categorised based on 'the cumulative
real-life experiences of accredited tax agents registered with the Authority'.
The FTA through this aims to raise 'customer satisfaction among
taxpayers' regarding the services of Tax Agents. The new classification service
can be availed by accessing the authorised tax agents register through the FTA
website, click on the ‘filter agents’ option to classify them according to
specialisation or sector, and choose one of the agents listed in the required
sector.
The new classification sectors include businesses subject to VAT,
corporate tax, SMEs (Muwafaq package), excise tax registration, registration of
warehouse keepers and designated areas, excise goods registration, tax refunds
for citizens building a new home and for mosques, government and charitable
entities, foreign businesses (non-residents), and real estate owners.
The number of approved Tax Agents classified according to their sectors 319,
accounting for more than 70 per cent of the total of 454 agents registered with
the Authority.
“The Federal Tax Authority launched the Tax Agents Classification
initiative as part of its strategy to contribute to the government efforts being
made to advance the UAE’s position as a centre for the new economy," said Khalid
Ali Al Bustani, Director-General of the FTA.
Arriving at the classification
The Tax Agents Classification was launched after a study into the needs
of taxpayers looking to deal with the Authority through agents. The study found
many FTA customers face difficulty in choosing the appropriate tax agent beacuse
of the 'growing number of authorised agents registered with it.
Agents have a say
The agent can choose the tax sectors or services they wish to be
classified in by providing supporting documents, such as letters of
recommendation from taxpayers and certificates of experience.