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  An announcement took place on 23 November 2020 that foreign investors can have complete ownership of Emirati companies that are governed by the Federal Commercial Companies Law (“CCL”) otherwise known as “on-shore” companies. The concession is limited to limited liability companies and private joint stock companies, including those owned

  New court On 10 November 2020, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department issued Resolution No. 35 of 2020 (the “Resolution”). Article 1 of the Resolution states that: “A Court is to

  In the late nineties, a contractor sued a government tender committee for AED 65,467,250 in compensation for losses and lost earnings as a result of not being awarded five tenders related to construction and maintenance works that the contractor had bid for. The contractor argued that its five bids

  Issue The first case involving the method of calculating late payment penalties on voluntary disclosures has been adjudicated by the Federal Supreme Court. The Federal Supreme Court has taken a position divergent from that of the tax dispute resolution committees, and the Federal Primary and Federal Appeals Courts on

  Since early 2019, the tax dispute resolution committees, and Federal Primary and Federal Appeals Courts have ordered the invalidity of applying late payment tax penalties capped at 300% retroactively to voluntary disclosures. On 14 October 2020, the Federal Supreme Court overturned the position taken by the committee and Court

  The #1 global guide on tax disputes and procedures. A guide to disputes and controversy arising from complex and multi-layered modern tax laws, with international experts providing overviews and in-depth analysis of relevant legislation and regulation, including jurisdiction-specific tax authorities and third parties, taxpayer rights, enforcement and penalties, dispute

  Brief One of the most common questions asked regarding tax reconsideration requests is the consequence of not receiving a response from the Federal Tax Authority (“FTA”) within the statutory timeframe of twenty-five weekdays. The UAE Federal Courts have recently addressed this issue in opining that – if no decision

Brief The tax dispute resolution committees were formed pursuant to the Tax Procedures Law, its Executive Regulations, and specifically Cabinet Decision No. 23/2018. The Dubai tax dispute resolution committee (“Dubai TDRC”) was formed pursuant to Ministerial Decision No. 109/2019 which named the primary judge, the two experts, and the alternate

During the Summer of 2020, the first inheritance tax disputes in the UAE made their way to the Federal Primary Court. As the UAE tax systems develop and tax liabilities and consequences become more commonplace, business owners and high-net-worth persons begin evaluating how any liability to the Federal Tax Authorities

On 9 September 2020, the National Media Council issued a circular regarding social media advertisements which will impact companies, brands, influencers, and anyone who carries out social media advertising activities on a commercial basis; emphasizing the need to obtain prior approval from the Media Licensing Department. As the influencer wave

On 6 August 2020, President Trump signed an Executive Order to stop the “spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People’s Republic of China (China) [which] continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States” by imposing

In a recent landmark ruling issued by one of the three Tax Dispute Resolution Committees (“TDRC”), the TDRC ordered the cancellation of not only the late payment penalties – but also the tax audit penalties resulting from a tax audit. Generally, the penalties arising from a tax audit are 50%

On 10 August 2020, the Regulatory Tribunal of the Qatar Financial Center issued a decision whereby it recognized COVID-19 as a hardship event in an appeal by a former director (and Senior Executive Function) of a regulated entity against penalties of USD 50,000 for breaches of the AML/CFT and various

The ability to influence has been a topic of dialectics for centuries – how the influence was obtained, how it was used, how much of it was at stake. When the topic of influence comes up, we may refer to great writers, composers, or philosophers. But these days the discussion

In comparison with general dispute practices, tax disputes are subject to a limited number of judges; three judges at the tax dispute resolution committees (TDRCs), one judge at the Tax Disputes Circuit of the Federal Primary Court, one judge at the Tax Disputes Circuit of the Federal Appeals Court, and