UNSSA welcomed Associate member AKA Management Consultancy LLC which has been appointed and accepted by the assembly as the Association legal advisor & consultant. It was also agreed that AKA will be UNSSA recommended advisor for our members.
In line with the UAE Excise Tax regulations, new shisha tobacco and e-cigarettes tax rule was announced in UAE. UAE is also extending the applicability of excise tax to include sweetened beverages, sugary drinks and electronic smoking devices by January 1, 2020. According to a statement released by the Cabinet General Secretariat: “The decision comes to support the UAE government’s efforts to enhance public health and prevent chronic diseases directly linked to sugar and tobacco consumption. Excise Tax was first introduced in October 2017 and these latest tax implications are just extension of its initial introduction in 2017.
UNSSA recently held a meeting to discuss the implications of this extension of the purview of the Excise Tax. Members raised concern that ship supply is an export activity in essence and thus need to be exempted from the new tax with a possibility of claiming refund for their items supplied to ships. The process to be applied to ship supply industry is still not clear and the Association’s Tax Consultant will take this up further with UAE Federal Tax Authority.