People who use an Abu Dhabi government debit card to pay for services such as electricity and water will be able to link it to their bank accounts by the end of the year.
Currently, people using the e-Dirham card must periodically top it up with cash.
“The key benefit today is that you can conduct your government services online, but sometimes your card doesn’t have enough funds so you can fund the card and then use it,” Younis Al Khoori, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, said yesterday. “This is what will be added with the new system. The card will be linked to your bank account.”
He said that unlike most bank-issued cards, which charge anything between 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent per transaction, the e-Dirham card, which is co-branded with the credit card company Visa, will charge a maximum of Dh3 per transaction. Many payments for different services can be done in one transaction, he added.
The mechanism allowing residents to link their e-Dirham cards will be done through the country’s central bank, Mr Al Khoori said.
The current prepaid Visa card that e-Dirham issues was conceived in 2011 and replaced a government card, adding new payments that could be made for charges including Emirates ID cards, visa renewals and court cases. The first generation e-Dirham cards could be used only to pay for government services at specific ministries.
Revenue from the e-Dirham service increased more than 26 per cent to Dh15.2 million last year from Dh12m in 2013, the ministry said.
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The Transfiguration
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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UK-EU trade at a glance
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Sri Lanka v England
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
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The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
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