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KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DOUBLE TAX TREATY – OFFICIAL PUBLICATION
THE BENEFITS OF MOVING TO A CLOUD ACCOUNTING PLATFORM IN THE UAE
- User authentication – two-step authentication for logins and transactions ensure that with the use of 2 personal devices only can you access the account.
- Data encryption – industry-level encryption services ensure that information is delivered and translated to correct areas only.
- Network security and data center – economies of scale allow a much higher level of infrastructure and the security that runs within it. This can offer governmental levels of security at a fraction of the price.
OBTAINING TAX RESIDENCY CERTIFICATE FOR A COMPANY
VAT: IMPACT ON BUSINESSES IN BAHRAIN
- Impact on Revenue
- Procurement and Input Tax
- Contracts & Policies
- Record Keeping, IT & ERP Systems
- Compliances
- VAT impact assessments
- Advise on tax-efficient structuring/
- Drafting of Sample Tax Invoices & Tax Credit Notes
- Registering and filing VAT returns
BAHRAIN VAT: LARGE FIRMS TO REGISTER BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2019
VAT IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: PROFIT MARGIN SCHEME
- Second hand goods, meaning tangible moveable property that is suitable for further use as it is after repair;
- Antiques i.e. goods that are over 50 years old;
- Collectors’ items i.e. stamp, coins, currency and other pieces of scientific, historical or archaeological interest.
- Only those goods which have previously been subject to VAT before the supply in question may be subject to the profit margin scheme. As a result, used goods acquired prior to the implementation of VAT or goods which have not previously been subject to VAT for other reasons are not eligible to be sold under the Profit Margin Scheme. There needs to be sufficient evidence or information to justify that the good was subject to previously.
- The goods must have been purchased from either:
- A person who is not registered for VAT.
- A registered business which has already applied Profit Margin Scheme on the same goods.
- The taxable person made a supply of the goods where input tax was not recovered in accordance with Article 53 of Cabinet Decision No. 52 of 2017.
- Used goods acquired prior to the implementation of VAT or goods which have not previously been subject to VAT for other reasons are not eligible to be sold under the Profit Margin Scheme.
- Where a tax invoice or any other document mentioning an amount of VAT chargeable in respect of the supply has been issued.
- Sufficient evidence or information is not available to justify that the goods have been subject to VAT previously.
9 KEY POINTS TO BECOMING A PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT
As a business owner, we often feel if we had that something extra, something better and something clearer to make an informed decision. And that ‘SOMETHING’ often depends on the proactive approach from your Accountant. As a business owner and as a Chartered Accountant, I understand the limitations that we come across at both ends.
Our profession advocates constant training to be provided not only for technical aspects but also for strong interpersonal skills, organisational competence, and intellectual ability. So what are these characteristics? What makes someone stand out?
Here are 9 points that I think are important to understand the responsibility of a Proactive Accountant:
1. Stay updated all the time
Accountants must constantly stay up to date with the profession. Attending refreshers, going to conferences/ seminars, and in-house training is a must. Technological advancements are also evolving at a furious pace, so these also must be kept up with. Continual personal development is a must, not an option!
2. Story behind the numbers: The Bigger Picture
Providing a data-generated report is easy. Staying on top of all the figures and paperwork is more important. At the very least, they need to understand where these numbers are coming from and what does it mean for the business. Good accountants will have a much shorter list of targeted questions that are developed specifically to aid their understanding which allows them to focus on the big picture.
3. Importance of Time
Every business needs management reports at regular intervals, if not in real-time. If these reports come after 2 months, it is like a post-mortem report – you can read through it but cannot change anything.
4. Inter-dependability and Accountability at each level
It is important to make every effort to do the right thing. Every process in an organisation is linked to Accounts Department somehow. Accountants need to have exceptionally well people skills as they typically work in coordination with different departments within an organisation. They have the opportunity to work with different types of professionals and personalities. Therefore, they are required to be generous with what they know, sensitive to others’ needs, and supportive of their team’s goals. We all succeed when we work together as a Team.
5. Decision making, critical reasoning & analytical ability
Business owners want their accountants to be strong and helpful in decision-making; however, decision-making can be hard. There is always a tendency to put off decisions by procrastinating and concluding that you need more information, only to later conclude that you need even more information. A good accountant should always determine what is relevant and what is not.
6. Trust factor
The information that accountants work with is highly confidential in nature. This is why trust and professionalism are important traits that they must always abide by. Not only is this the right and ethical way to go about their businesses, but having a reputation for trustworthiness will win plaudits in the long run. I firmly believe that we trade on our knowledge and ability, but we only get these opportunities by demonstrating our commitment to client confidentiality.
7. Solutions seekers, not fault finders
Great leaders have the desire to help others succeed. Don’t find faults in the system; find a solution that helps the organisation to overcome an obstacle. Leadership characteristics can be taught, but leadership must be exhibited day in and day out.
8. Commitment
Companies are looking for motivated, dedicated individuals for long-term employment. There is no short-term solution, neither for business owners nor for accountants.
9. Enjoy what you do
This last one might appear strange, but I firmly believe that we all need to enjoy what we are doing. There is no fun in a 9-6 job unless you have a good working environment, surrounded by people who are happy and joyful. Work takes up so much of our time, and it is my opinion that mere monetary rewards will not keep someone in a career they do not enjoy. Whilst no one should expect to be smiling all day, every day, it is important we have some fun along the way.
The characteristics of a proactive accountant start with the basics of sound technical ability and a solid ethical foundation. These are considered as a baseline, and the Accountant needs to grow beyond the “rules and regulations” mind-set of our profession. Attaining and maintaining the characteristics mentioned above require a personal commitment but are crucial to the accountant’s long-term success. Have you got what it takes to be a good accountant?
BAHRAIN VAT: IN COMPARISON
The government of Bahrain has announced the implementation of VAT from 1st January 2019. An Arabic version of the VAT law has been published. Implementing regulations will be released at a later date which will explain the VAT matters in further detail.
Some of the important points and differences to UAE and KSA VAT legislation are as follows:
1. Mandatory Registration – Threshold
The Bahraini legislation refers to the GCC agreement for the mandatory registration threshold which stipulates Saudi Riyal 375,000 as the basis of calculation. The Bahraini legislation has not clarified which rate of exchange rate will be used to determine the final value of threshold. Threshold value is likely to be 37,500 if we look at the example of UAE threshold which is not exactly equivalent to the exchange rate pertaining to, for example, 01 January, 2018. UAE used a rounded off exchange rate of 1AED/SAR to calculate its threshold. Bahrain is likely to use a round off figure of 10 BHD/SAR, hence, BHD 37,500 as the threshold.
2. Mandatory Registration – Period
Another important distinction when compared to KSA and UAE legislation would be the period of revenue considered for mandatory registration. KSA and UAE consider last 12 months and next 30 days of revenue for the purpose mandatory registration. In contract Bahrain considers last 12 months OR “anticipated revenue” in the next 12 months. Companies may have to provide signed contracts to establish future revenue.
3. Voluntary Registration – Threshold and Period
Similar to UAE and KSA the voluntary threshold will be half of the mandatory threshold and both revenues and expenses can be considered for this purpose. But similar to the distinction in the period, previous OR next 12 months of revenue and expenses can be considered for the registration.
4. Tax Return Submission Date
It will be the last day of the month subsequent to the tax period. For example, for Quarter Ended 31st March, 2019 the last date of submission would be 30th April, 2019. This is similar to KSA.
5. Tax Debit Notes
The document titled “Tax Debit Note” is officially recognized when compared to KSA and UAE where only additional invoices can be issued for any increase in the value of a Tax Sales Invoice. For instance, in UAE and KSA, if by error or omission a Tax Invoice was undervalued, you need to issue an additional Tax Invoice describing the change. Bahraini Legislation recognizes a Tax Debit Note which can be officially issued to rectify such an error, instead of an additional tax Invoice.
6. Pre-registration Expenses
In Bahrain, with regards to sale of taxable goods, only those Input VAT credits can be claimed where the respective taxable goods would be sold after the registration date. In terms of taxable services, no Input credits can be claimed prior to 6 months of registration date. This is similar to KSA.
The distinction in UAE is with respect to the input credits on services only. Input Credits can be claimed as long back as 5 years prior to registration, provided that these services were used to make taxable services.
7. Education Services and related goods/services
In Bahrain these are Zero rated supplies. The legislation has not restricted this provision to government institutes only, whether higher education or not. The implementing regulation is likely to further elaborate on this topic specially “related goods/services”, and whether transportation, uniform, educational aids etc. would come under the zero rate or not.
In UAE, Higher education is chargeable at 5% VAT where it is a private institute. Otherwise public and private education and related goods and services are zero rated with the exception of uniforms, school trips, food items, electronic devices etc.
In contrast in KSA, all education services and related goods/services are subject to VAT at 5%. Though, the VAT payable by KSA citizens on educations services and related goods/services will be borne by the KSA government.
8. Enforcement
In Bahrain, the enforcement of VAT legislation will be done through an existing pool of judicial officers and public enforcement officials. So we may expect more inspections and enquiries when compared to KSA and UAE, where new departments are formed for enforcement which would need sufficient time to hire, train and start their inspections.
9. Failure to submit VAT return in time
The time stipulated in Bahrain before a penalty is levied is 60 days, when a minimum of 5% to a maximum of 25% penalty, on the amount of tax, can be levied. In contrast UAE, and KSA apply penalty immediately after the due date is over which is 28 days and last day, of the subsequent month, respectively.
10. Prosecution
In Bahraini legislation there is much more emphasis on criminal charges to be levied upon the violations of the law, when compared to UAE and KSA where financial fines are largely emphasized and higher in value.
TRANSFORMING HR AND STRATEGIZING CHANGE MANAGEMENT
“We intended to boldly pursue today’s inevitable journey to transform the traditional HR operating model via fully integrated change management strategies and strategically managed HR transformation.” Sumeet Nayyar-CEO& Partner
“We aimed to develop and execute on the right plan by focusing on the people first.” Nihar Kothari –Partner
“We encouraged curiosity across all facets of the organization which opened people’s minds allowing them to try new things differently.” Abeer Syed – Partner
” We created a vision for change which helped us to direct, align and inspire employees.” Tanmay Saxena – Senior Manager, Tax and Compliance Advisory
ACTION PLAN:
Our leaders recognized the huge trends that are emerging very rapidly and started working proactively to respond strategically every step of the way. The following action-plan was laid down.Goal | Action |
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Transform HR practices | Hire a dedicated HR personnel |
HR Audit |
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Establish retention strategies that promote the Firm as a great place to work/live. |
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Employee Handbook | Comprehensive development of handbook including updated policies |
HR Automation by ensuring process simplification and retaining the “human touch” and avoid creating a feeling that the HR function has been depersonalized |
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Revamping Performance Management | Development of a PM model that aligns with business objectives |
IMPLEMENTATION
“We adopted a realistic approach towards change management as it concentrated on reinforcing the people side of equation combined with effort to manage and execute the change.” Affiniax Management
“Our most senior leadership believed in and supported the idea of revamping the Performance Management Framework — a framework focused on fueling performance in the future rather than assessing it in the past.” Sheeba Mirza, HR Executive
- Mid-2018: May- We chose two departments with a pilot approach – Consulting and Corporate.
- Training session was held by the HR Executive for the line managers and their direct reports to make them understand the model.
- July 2018- We added the other departments – Audit, Accounts, Administration and Taxation later in the year.
- Formation of steering groups consisting of HR Executive, Director and the Line Manager of each department.
- And by the end of August 2018 we have covered all the departments.
RESULTS
CONNECTING CHANGE TO BUSINESS RESULTS
Project | Purpose |
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Revamping Performance Management Framework – MSCs and KPIs | Employees are clear in understanding “how” to deliver on the expectations of “what” is expected. 70% weightage: KPIs and 30% weightage: Competencies |
Free HR software | Automating HRMS thereby saving time, cost and increasing employees’ productivity.
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People friendly workplace |
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L&D Programs – YLP, FLP and Management Development Program | Development of employees at the entry, mid and senior level through customized learning programs. |