ABU DHABI // A tax on remittances to overseas countries has been dismissed as neither feasible nor advisable.
Hamad Buamim, chief executive of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and a member of the UAE Central Bank board, said he he had heard that the levy was being considered by the Dubai government.
But imposing a tax solely in Dubai would be pointless, since expatriates would simply transfer money home from other emirates, said Ali Al Nuaimi, a Federal National Council member for Ajman and a former bank chief.
At the federal level, taxation could not be imposed without a law passing through the Cabinet and the FNC and approved by the President, Sheikh Khalifa, and no such law is being considered.
“At the local level, they cannot control it,” Mr Al Nuaimi said. “A person can go to Sharjah and send money. If it is at the federal level, it will take a long time. Nothing official has been said to us, maybe the government is discussing this internally, but no information has come out. It is just talk for now.”
The suggestion was also dismissed by Yousef Al Neaimi, chairman of Ras Al Khaimah Chamber of Commerce and a board member of RAK Bank.
“The country has a free economy,” Mr Al Neaimi said. “Any person who works in the country, employee or owners, when they first came they came knowing it was a free economy without taxation. So I do not think this idea would be welcomed.”
He said imposing a tax on remittances would be an indirect way of imposing an income tax.
“That means we have introduced taxation in the country,” he said, and the UAE was not ready for such a step.
“We still need capital and investors and the people working here in the country – they are partners.”
Bloomberg News reported last week that three bankers heard about the proposal after receiving a circular from the Ministry of Finance. The ministry had asked for their views.
Financial experts have repeatedly advised expatriates to keep their money outside the country in case they encounter difficulties here, such as losing their job.
Richard Taylor of UKTaxDubai.com and a chartered financial planner with PIC Middle East said last month such problems could lead to accounts being frozen.
Others send money to their home countries to support family members.
Jocelyn, from Dubai Maids, said a large number of their maids did just that.
“This is a bad idea, it would affect a lot of maids,” she said.
If such tax were to be imposed, she said many would be forced to send smaller amounts home.
A marketing specialist in Abu Dhabi, said he came to the UAE for work so that he could support his family in Egypt. “I am sure people will find ways around it, like send money home with friends, or travel to Oman and transfer money,” he said.
“Not everyone has a big salary and expats here usually have a home outside the country and a family they need to support.”
osalem@thenational.ae
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
At a glance
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
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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