Census not a prelude to tax regime in UAE

"Some people or parties are afraid when census workers approach them, and ask to see ID cards which we have already provided our workers,'' said Majid Sultan Al Ali, Head of the Supervision Unit of the General Census of Population, Housing and Establishments, who is currently monitoring field assignments.

"We want to tell all residents that we do not have anything to do with labour or immigration matters, and we wholly depend on people's authentic answers. Some people think that we have to do with a tax regime, and I do not know where people came with that assumption. The data we collect has to do only with the interests of society and we need all help from residents in this national duty," he added.

Al Ali spoke as the census teams started the second week of the census operation without any major hassles. However, some teams reported little technical hiccups in the census equipment.

Hafsa Abdullah AI Ulama, Assistant Under-Secretary for Planning and Director-General of Census 2005, urged all residents to cooperate with census workers.

"Some people do not open their doors. The information taken from people is only taken as statistical figures and does not have to do with individuals," she said.

The official added that the census was progressing as planned, and the population census will take place in December.

Commenting on the cooperation of people in the current census, Al Ali underlined that the census workers should not be looked at as any source of worry by residents.

"If we ask an Indian man, for example, about his nationality and he tells us that he is a US citizen, we will not ask him for documents to prove that. The information we are collecting from people is just for purposes that serve the country," he said.

Census workers conduct their surveys from 5pm to 9pm, and have been complaining of the hot weather and high humidity, in addition to some people's failure to extend cooperation to them, despite the fact that giving the information would not take more than five minutes.

Earlier this month, teams that are tasked with conducting the census and comprise approximately 1,000 supervisors began executing the field work i.e. counting and marking of buildings within the designated areas and gathering all related data besides counting the components of each building.