Corporate Tax Rates:

• 9% Corporate Tax rate for taxable income exceeding AED 375000
• 0% Tax Rate for taxable income up to AED 375000 to support small and medium size enterprise

Applicability to free zones and financial free zones

• Free Zone (including financial free zones) businesses in UAE will be subject to Corporate Tax. However, it has been clarified that the Corporate Tax regime will continue to honour the corporate tax incentives currently being offered to free zone businesses that comply with all regulatory requirements and that do not conduct business in mainland UAE.
• Businesses established in a free zone will be required to register and file a Corporate Tax Return.

Exempt income

The following categories of income will not be subject to CIT:

• Capital gains.
• Dividends received by UAE businesses from qualifying shareholding. A qualifying shareholding refers to an ownership interest in a UAE or foreign company that meets certain conditions to be specified in the UAE CIT law.
• Qualifying intragroup transactions and restructurings
• Income from the extraction of natural resources (relevant for the oil and gas industry). This income will remain subject to Emirate level corporate taxation
• Businesses engaged in real estate management, construction, development, agency and brokerage activities will be subject to UAE CIT.

Relevant Authority?

The Federal Tax Authority will be responsible for the administration, collection, and enforcement of UAE CT.

The Ministry of Finance will remain the ‘competent authority’ for purposes of bilateral/multilateral agreements and the international exchange of information for tax purposes.

Compliance and Obligations under Corporate Tax:

• Business which are subject to UAE CIT will be required to file a CIT return electronically for each financial period. A financial period is generally a year.
• Businesses established in a free zone will be required to register and file a CIT return
• Businesses will be subject to penalties for non-compliance with the CIT regime.

Other Key Features

• Withholding taxes on domestic and cross border payments will not be imposed.
• Businesses involved in the “extraction of natural resources” – essentially oil and gas production – will be exempt as they are subject to emirate-level taxation already, the ministry said.
• Foreign taxes paid will be credited against any payable UAE corporate tax meaning there will be no double taxation.
• There will be “generous loss utilisation rules” and “UAE groups can be taxed as a single entity or can apply group relief in respect of losses and intragroup transactions and restructurings”.
• The taxable income will be the accounting net profit of a business, after making adjustments for certain items to be specified under the UAE CT law. The accounting net profit of a business is the amount reported in the financial statements prepared in accordance with internationally acceptable accounting standards.
• Effective from the financial year starting on or after June 1, 2023

Businesses will have ample time to prepare for the introduction of Corporate Tax, and further information on the UAE Corporate Tax regime will be provided towards the middle of 2022 to help businesses get ready and be fully compliant.

(The legislation is yet to be issued and the details for the corporate tax regime are subject to finalization).