FTA set to launch EmaraTax on December 5

The ease of doing business has been a hallmark of the UAE and Emaratax will be the gateway to the future of taxation in the country, says an expert

FTA planned migration to EmaraTax to coincide with the National Day holiday and well in advance of the usual tax return submission and payment dates.

Muzaffar Rizvi

Published: Sun 13 Nov 2022, 3:13 PM

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) on Sunday confirmed its intention to launch the EmaraTax platform on December 5 and said migration to the new platform will commence from November 30.

In a statement, the authority said it planned migration to EmaraTax to coincide with the National Day holiday and well in advance of the usual tax return submission and payment dates.

"To minimise disruption to taxpayers, we have a well-defined plan to ensure a trouble-free migration to EmaraTax so subscibers will not face any problem while submitting their tax returns and payments," according to a FTA official seeking anonymity.

Emaratax is a modern tax administration ecosystem that integrates FTA with other government entities such as the Central Bank of the UAE and national technology-based programmes, including UAE PASS, to simplify the use of common data.

In November, FTA announced the new integrated platform, which also enhance taxpayers' access to FTA’s services, pay taxes and obtain refunds, simplifies a range of user processes, from logging-in to compiling tax returns.

Ease of doing business

Pankaj S. Jain, managing director of AskPankaj Tax Advisors, said Emaratax is a proof that the tax authorities have been listening to the stakeholders and working on their concerns for over two years.

Highlighting some of the salient features of new online platform, he said he new platform will have 100+ features which will be rolled out progressively over the coming few months.

"The online platform shows compliance status of taxpayers and list down all the pending VAT returns on a single screen. It also have a ‘correspondence’ section containing the correspondence with the tax authorities," he said.

"It is a gateway to the future. The ease of doing business has been a hallmark of the UAE and Emaratax will be the gateway to the future of taxation in the country, he said.

Better tax system

The new online platform also greatly enhances the ability of the FTA to administer taxes in the UAE, enables better, faster decision-making and earlier engagement with taxpayers that need support. It aligns with the UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025 and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to leverage emerging technologies and build a solid digital infrastructure that serves the people and business community of the UAE.

"Once live, taxpayers will be able to benefit from the improved and feature-rich online platform designed to revolutionise the way they manage their taxes. Additionally, the FTA will continue until the first quarter of next year to launch additional services and features in phases, including an EmaraTax application for mobile phones," according to a FTA statement.

The FTA is committed to ensuring that every taxpayer has an opportunity to learn more about the key features of EmaraTax. Taxpayers can join one of the daily EmaraTax webinars organied by the FTA in November.

A dedicated microsite has also been launched which includes information about using EmaraTax, educational videos, Frequently Asked Questions, and the joining details for the free webinars. Important information will also be sent directly to taxpayers via their registered email address.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com