UAE Federal Tax Authority Sets February 28 as Final Deadline to Submit Tax Returns

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has called on all businesses registered for the Value Added Tax (VAT), whose first tax periods end on January 31, 2018, to submit their tax returns and pay their due taxes no later than February 28 in order to avoid administrative penalties.

His Excellency Khalid Al Bustani, FTA Director General, said the Authority has provided a simplified process to submit VAT returns and pay due taxes for registered businesses, encouraging them to comply and use the advanced online system to complete the procedures and pay their taxes accurately with four steps through the e-Services portal on the Authority’s website.

Taxable Persons can submit their Tax Returns and process the payments 24/7, H.E. explained, by visiting www.tax.gov.ae, going on to the e-Services portal and pressing the VAT tab to access the returns form. Users can then enter the data after thorough review, then press “Submit” and pay the due tax through the “My Payments” tab.

His Excellency confirmed that various electronic channels and mechanisms have been activated to facilitate paying tax fees through a wide network of banks, exchange offices and finance companies in the state. H.E noted that registrants also can pay the taxes through The UAE Funds Transfer System (UAEFTS), main money transfer system, which offers direct linkage between the Central Bank of the UAE and the 'Federal Tax Authority, this allows immediate transactions of tax payments to entities covered by the system, through bank accounts and from 77 bank branches, exchange offices and finance companies around the UAE. 

Expanding payment channels further facilitates tax payment procedures,” H.E. Al Bustani noted.

In an effort to streamline the process for Taxable Persons, the FTA provided seven different payment methods to process any payable tax to the Authority through the E-Dirham platform in the e-Services portal on its website.

His Excellency called on businesses registered for the Value Added Tax (VAT) to create e-Dirham accounts as soon as possible if they do not already have one, stressing that the e-Dirham is a safe method to pay for government services and VAT. Issued by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with First Abu Dhabi Bank, the system covers seven channels including e-Dirham Cards, Point of Sales (POS) terminals, ATMs, CDMs, Self-Service Kiosks, Mobile Payment Services, Digital Wallet and Online Direct Transfer Services that enable customers to top-up their e-Dirham cards through their bank accounts.

The FTA Director General stressed that submitted data should be thoroughly checked and accurately entered when submitting the tax return. They should also include the 10 basic requirements outlined in the Authority’s comprehensive awareness campaign – “Filing Returns in 4 Steps” – which targeted businesses. The tax return should include: The Taxable Person’s name; address; Tax Registration Number (TRN); the tax period of the tax return; submission date; the value of standard-rated supplies made in the tax period and the output tax charged; the value of zero-rated supplies made in the tax period; the value of exempt supplies made in the tax period.