KHALEEJ TIMES, Monday, May 3, 2021 | Ramadan 21, 1442
UAE excels in key global competitiveness metrics
Emirates:
The UAE has excelled in several global competitiveness metrics related
to finance and taxes, according to various agencies specialising in
assessing competitiveness.
The Emirates ranked among the top 10 countries in 28 competitiveness indexes
related to finance and taxes, according to a report by the Federal
Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC).
To make the report, the FCSC has weighed the rankings of the IMD World
Competitiveness Yearbook, the Legatum Prosperity Index, the World Economic
Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, the Global Talent
Competitiveness Index and Global Competitiveness Index 4.0.
Recently, the UAE was ranked No.1 overall as the most competitive emerging
market in the GCC, according to the annual Agility Emerging Markets Logistics
Index. It also topped all three individual sub-indices in the region.
According to the FCSC report, the UAE was ranked first in the Real Personal
Taxes Index, the Collected Personal Income Taxes Index, the Low Tax Evasion Rate
Index, the Collected Indirect Tax Revenues Index, the Lack of Wastefulness in
Government Spending Index and the Best Time to File Tax Returns Index.
The UAE was also ranked second globally in the areas of corporate tax
collection, real increase in government expenditures, and collection of capital
and real estate taxes, while it was ranked third in the areas of
intergovernmental transfers, local central governmental debt and rate of low
consumption taxes.
In January 2018, the UAE adopted the value added tax, which is an indirect tax
of five per cent on most products and services supplied at every phase of the
supply chain.
In the fourth quarter of 2017, the country also adopted an excise tax to
discourage the consumption of products that adversely affect health, including
tobacco, energy drinks and soft drinks. The UAE also joined the top 10 countries
in business competitiveness in finance and tax, thanks to its policy to not
apply any income taxes and focus only on indirect taxes, such as the VAT and
excise tax.
“While many countries are planning to increase taxes on personal profits and
corporations, the UAE ranked first globally in terms of the lack of real
personal taxes and low rates of tax evasion, which enhanced its attractiveness
to foreign direct investments,” said the report.
In its 2020 report, the World Economic Forum ranked the UAE third globally due
to its low rates on consumption taxes, and fifth globally in terms of the low
impact of taxes on employment incentives. Furthermore, the country was ranked
eighth globally for the impact of taxes on investments, and seventh globally in
investment capital availability, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index.
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