An august 2018 article in the U.S. daily Khaleej Times, the launch date was scheduled for January 2019. This was confirmed later when the Bahraini Parliament approved the VAT agreement in January 2019. The treaty is sometimes called a framework agreement, and it is a good name, it defines the “wire framework” for a collaborative VAT system between gcc countries. It should be remembered, however, that this is a treaty and not a law and is therefore essentially an agreement between countries. It is not a document that taxpayers can count on per se – you have to look at local implementing laws to develop the exact mechanics of VAT in each country. At the time of the letter, only the Saudi draft of the VAT Act (which is itself essentially a framework document in which it is not rated at zero or exempt from the contract) is available, but details are emerging. In the meantime, the treaty provides important guidance on how we can expect the VAT system to work. Countries also enjoy great flexibility in the treatment of certain other important sectors – government agencies, event organisers (under international agreements), farmers and fishermen who are not registered for VAT and citizens who build their homes. Countries have flexibility in applying VAT to these groups – they can either refund VAT or exclude them from paying taxes on deliveries delivered to them. The United Arab Emirates has confirmed that it will only accept refunds, and only in the case of certain public bodies, qualified event organizers and citizens who build their own homes. However, deliveries to these agencies in the United Arab Emirates are taxed in accordance with normal VAT rules and VAT is payable. It is not clear what other countries will do, but there is a possibility of differential processing of deliveries to these facilities, which are entirely based on the status of the recipient – it is potentially quite complex.
Saudi Arabia definitively approved the single agreement of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on the introduction of VAT on 30 January 2017, followed by an announcement by Bahrain`s finance minister, who confirmed that Bahrain had signed the agreement on 1 February 2017. The six GCC countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) have all signed the agreement, paving the way for the introduction of VAT throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council in 2018. The next steps are for local enforcement laws to be adopted in each country. An article entitled Gulf Countries has been signed VAT agreements already exist in stored items The “Single Agreement on VAT (VAT) ” of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf StatesThe single agreement on VAT of the Cooperation Council for the Gulf Arab States was published by UM AL-QURA in its issue 4667 of H1438/7/24. This agreement aims to define the uniform legal framework for the introduction of VAT in GCC countries, which is imposed on deliveries of goods and services. The kingdom agreed by royal decree (point m/51 of 5.05.1438). GCC countries have signed deleted VAT agreements The GCC VAT agreement can be defined as the single VAT agreement by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for Arab states.