The Middle East

The tax system is one of the key pillars to have supported the UAE’s economic growth over recent decades. The federal government applies no corporate, personal, capital gains, value-added or withholding taxes, while emirate-level tax legislation introduced in the 1960s has never been implemented.

As the Middle East’s second-biggest oil producer, the UAE has seen much attention directed to it over the past year regarding the effect of subdued oil prices on the economy. The emirate of Abu Dhabi is a key player in the response to this challenge. As home to the nation’s capital it hosts many institutions that oversee the UAE’s social and...

Given the stubbornly low oil prices of 2015, with no sign of a significant recovery in the short term, the run-up to the publication of the UAE’s current federal budget saw much speculation as to how the government might pare back state spending. For some, the reduction of subsidies earlier in 2015 set a new tone with regard to budgetary...

Abu Dhabi City is the capital of the UAE, which was founded in December 1971 as a federation between six of its seven constituent emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain. The emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) joined the federation the following year. The UAE is governed by the UAE Constitution, which permits each...

The UAE federal government has exclusive jurisdiction to legislate in relation to UAE taxes. However, no federal tax laws have yet been established. Instead, most of the emirates enacted their own general income tax decrees in the late 1960s (tax decrees).

The media industry in Abu Dhabi has witnessed a surge in investment recently as sector infrastructure is developed to support the expansion of local production and content creation. This includes both physical infrastructure and human resources capacity. Sector expenditure is on the rise as well. Local English-language daily The National...