3,261 complaints received on first day
DUBAI 28 January 2018: What are the three top grouses of residents about the charging of Value Added Tax (VAT) by retailers and service providers in the UAE?
The complaints received by the Higher Committee of Consumer Protection at the Ministry of Economy address three main issues:
- Price hikes
- Tax registration numbers and
- Erroneous calculation of VAT on some commodities
“Traders and departments against whom the complaints were filed have been notified and were given a grace period to rectify their strategies as per the tax rules and condition,” said Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the Federal Tax Authority (FTA).
Meanwhile, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, said complaints are going down day by day.
“The committee received growing calls from the consumers during the first days of the VAT application. People had some concerns, but their worries have ebbed with the passage of time and by the end of the first fortnight of the application, the calls received by the committee declined from 3,261 on the first day of the application to 493 on January 15,” he said, reported Wam.
The Higher Committee of Consumer Protection is ensuring continued coordination between all state departments concerned with the Value-Added Tax to corroborate consumers’ confidence in the market stability and sound application of the tax and prevent any unjustifiable price hikes, the minister added.
“The committee is in constant follow-up of the market to prevent any violations and in case of any non-abidance, all legal measures have been taken against the violators,” Mohammed Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Shehhi, Undersecretary for Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Economy, who attended the meeting, said.