With the UAE government’s announcement of implementing corporate tax starting from the financial year 2023, the tax compliance landscape in the country is poised to undergo a paradigm transformation. Businesses operating in the UAE have been obliged to assess their corporate tax eligibility and compliance requirements such as tax registration, deregistration, filing of tax returns and payment, among other things.

The registration under the UAE Corporate Tax law can be either voluntary by the taxpayer themselves or the FTA has the power to directly register a qualifying person under the UAE Corporate Tax law if they fail to register themselves Suo-moto, even though they might be so required. Businesses that fall under the ambit of UAE corporate tax are required to carry out registration with the FTA and obtain the Tax Registration Number within the prescribed period specified by the regulatory body.

In the event of cessation or liquidation when the business ceases to be subject to corporate tax, they are required to apply for tax deregistration. A deregistration application needs to be submitted to the FTA within three months from the date of cessation or discontinuation.

Deregistration request will be approved by the FTA only if it is satisfied that the business has filed corporate tax returns and paid due taxes and settled all the corporate tax liabilities and penalties (if any) that were due for all periods up to and including the date of cessation. If a business fails to apply for corporate tax deregistration within the timeframe stipulated by the FTA or fails to comply with the payment and filing obligations, FTA has the power to deregister the business based on the information available at its disposal.

Tax always comes into the forefront in almost every facet of the business. Tax advice needs to be sought before you enter into business transactions, to avoid surprise losses related to tax. Hence, tax planning should always be developed in advance. However, certain transactions may have been undertaken without proper tax planning or even without any tax planning at all.

In such situations, one would need to identify tax risks and find ways to mitigate them. It would be better if you could provide us with relevant draft agreements as it would help us better understand your business and, in particular, the envisaged transaction and thereby identify the relevant tax implications, and recommend ways to mitigate the relevant tax risks.

You may also discuss with our team at Accostax, the transactions or deals that you have undertaken but about which you are uncertain of the tax implications. Our tax experts at Accostax will identify the tax risks and recommend ways to mitigate them.

International Accounting Standard 12 Income Taxes (IAS 12) requires companies to measure deferred tax assets and liabilities at the tax rates that are expected to apply to the period when the asset is realised or the liability is settled, based on tax rates (and tax laws) that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the end of the reporting period.

Based on the above, companies have to assess the deferred tax implications and the estimated deferred tax [Deferred Tax Assets (DTA) / Deferred Tax Liabilities (DTL)] for reporting periods, including interim reporting.

With the right approach, our team of finance and accounting professionals along with the subject matter experts from the corporate tax team will assist you in quarterly and annual tax provision calculations, reviewing tax balance sheet accounts and related deferred tax provisioning computations.

The Corporate Tax Return is a form filed by the Taxable Person for a specific tax period containing the details of income and expenses reported in the financial statements/records, along with supporting schedules and computation showing the Corporate tax liability and other necessary information required by the FTA from time to time. The Tax Return should be filed within a specific period with the tax authority according to the Corporate Tax Law. 

Accostax has highly knowledgeable and experienced Tax consultants in UAE in assisting clients with the best Corporate Tax services in UAE for Corporate Tax returns, ensuring staying compliant with the laws and regulations of the Tax Authority.  Our team will also guide you through document preparation, calculating the tax liability, and tax compliance for Corporate Tax activities such as Registration, filing returns, refunds, etc.

A corporate Tax Audit in UAE is a mandatory process to audit the tax liability, Tax compliance and financial records of companies that meet the conditions. An auditor reviews the financial statements, tax returns, and documents to identify any discrepancies or errors during the process.

In order for the governing body to determine whether a taxable organization is adhering to the Corporate Tax law and standards as per FTA guidelines, corporate tax audits are carried out and submitted to the government. It is mandatory for all companies to adhere to this Corporate Tax Law and Audit procedures. The FTA investigates if the taxable companies have settled all debts and that all taxes are due to have been collected and paid to the authorities within the time limit specified through the tax audit.  The purpose of a corporate tax audit is to ensure that companies are paying the correct amount of tax and following the regulations set by the FTA in the UAE. Companies that fail to comply with tax regulations may face Corporate Tax penalties or legal action.