• H.E. Khalid Al Bustani: We aim to raise student awareness about the importance of the tax system and its role in maintaining prosperity.
  • The sessions seek to encourage students to study tax-related disciplines in order to expand the workforce and enhance their skills to work in the sector.

Dubai, UAE:– The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has launched a new series of events, including a set of specialised educational workshops, to promote tax awareness among school and university students as part of its comprehensive awareness campaign for this key sector.

The events are scheduled to coincide with the start of the 2023/2024 academic year and aim to enhance student awareness about the basics and importance of the tax system.

The Authority explained that the campaign’s activities are organised in collaboration with the relevant educational institutions in the government, semi-government, and private sectors. It aims to enhance tax awareness among students – the future leaders and entrepreneurs – providing them with clear information to help them form a comprehensive understanding of the basics, objectives, and procedures of the tax system, which has become a fundamental part of the UAE community’s everyday life.

The first workshop of the campaign was held in the first week of academic year 2023/2024 at Al Mawakeb Private School in Al Barsha, Dubai. During this workshop, His Excellency Khalid Ali Al Bastani, Director-General of the Federal Tax Authority, congratulated the students on the new academic year, wishing them success in their educational journey.

“This campaign is part of the Authority’s efforts to raise tax awareness among all segments of the community, especially school and university students,” said H.E. Al Bustani in his speech at the workshop, which was attended by a crowd of students. “They are the ones who will build the prosperous future we all aspire to, continue along the path of hard work and dedication, and cement the culture of leadership that the UAE has succeeded in achieving in many fields.”

“Since its inception nearly six years ago, the tax system has seen significant expansion in the taxpayer base across all sectors,” H.E. added. “With its various levels and categories, education is among the sectors that offer the largest support for the continuous development of the Authority’s systems and services. Raising tax awareness among students is one of the goals sought by the FTA, in order to prepare a new generation with sufficient knowledge about the importance of diversifying income sources, as well as deeper insight into the objectives of the tax system and its effective role in maintaining the prosperity and wellbeing that the UAE provides in its services to all citizens, residents, and visitors.”

H.E. the FTA Director-General went on to emphasise that: “The campaign to enhance student awareness about the basics and importance of the tax system aims to provide school and university students with essential information about tax laws and procedures, encouraging those among them who may want to specialise in this field to consider pursuing tax-related education in the future. This, in turn, will help expand the pool of qualified and skilled professionals in the tax field.”

The workshop was attended by Zahra Al Dahmani, Director of Taxpayer Services at the FTA, and Moussa Shahbaz, Director of Al Mawakeb Private School, along with a number of officials from the Authority and the school.

During the workshop, FTA representatives presented a comprehensive explanation of the types of taxes applied in the UAE, including Value Added Tax (VAT), Excise Tax, and Corporate Tax, detailing the rates associated with each of them. They also clarified the mandatory and voluntary registration thresholds for VAT, the goods subject to Excise Tax, and the tax rates applied to them.

The FTA experts went on to cover Corporate Tax, outlining the income that is subject to taxation in that regard and the rate applied. They also answered questions raised by participating students about tax laws and procedures in general.

The Authority noted that there will be more similar events throughout the current academic year as part of the campaign to enhance student awareness about the basics and importance of the tax system, organised in collaboration with schools and universities across the country.

The Federal Tax Authority pointed out that it had organised several events over the past academic year as part of this awareness campaign, including workshops at the University of Sharjah, the American University in Dubai, and Al Mawakeb School in Barsha. The Authority asserted that the campaign aims to reach students in academic institutions across all seven emirates of the UAE.

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The Federal Tax Authority was established by Federal Decree-Law No. (13) of 2016 to help diversify the national economy and increase non-oil revenues in the UAE through the management and collection of federal taxes based on international best practices and standards, as well as to provide all means of support to enable taxpayers to comply with the tax laws and procedures. Since its inception in 2017, the FTA has been committed to cooperate with the competent authorities to establish a comprehensive and balanced system to make the UAE one of the first countries in the world to implement a fully electronic tax system that encourages voluntary compliance, with simple procedures based on the highest standards of transparency and accuracy – beginning from registration, to the submission of tax returns, to the payment of due taxes through the Authority’s website: www.tax.gov.ae