Corporate Tax Strategies for Multinational Businesses in the UAE

The recent amendments in the UAE corporate tax have made it necessary for multinational businesses operating in the country across diverse sectors to create corporate tax strategies carefully. As Emirates is focusing on aligning its tax system guidelines with global standards, it has become essential for foreign businesses to stay regularly updated with any amendments to operate business smoothly without any hassle.

This blog will feature some strategic corporate tax strategies that will assist multinational businesses in the UAE in maintaining their profitability while complying with the nation’s tax guidelines.

A Brief Overview of UAE Corporate Tax

The UAE remains a prime destination for entrepreneurs and business owners worldwide, thanks to its pro-business policies, low tax regime, attractive incentives, and other advantages. However, two recent amendments to the UAE corporate tax guidelines have significantly impacted foreign businesses operating in the country.

The first amendment was introduced two years ago, imposing a 9% corporate tax rate on multinational enterprises (MNEs) with taxable income exceeding AED 375,000. This amendment made corporate tax registration mandatory, aiming to enhance financial transparency and increase international businesses’ contributions to the UAE’s economy.

The second and most recent amendment introduced the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), aligning the UAE’s tax system with OECD and G20 global minimum tax standards. Under this amendment, MNEs with annual revenues exceeding EUR 750 million are now subject to a 15% tax rate. This measure aims to prevent tax avoidance and ensure fair tax contributions from large multinational corporations operating in the UAE.

Three Effective Corporate Tax Strategies for MNEs in the UAE

Multinational businesses in the UAE must develop strategic corporate tax strategies to improve their profitability and ensure compliance with the latest corporate tax guidelines. Here are the three effective strategies that can help MNEs with this:

1. Understanding Multinational Tax Strategies

MNCs operating in the Emirates must expand their knowledge about the tax regulations of diverse nations globally to develop a strategic corporate tax strategy. 

• The MNEs must ensure compliance with the UAE pricing guidelines by operating transactions with other businesses based on the Arm’s Length Transaction, a pricing principle that is accepted by all OECD member countries to avoid legal issues.

• The UAE has over 100 DTTs (Double Taxation Treaties) with other nations that can be utilized by the MNEs to reduce their withholding tax liability and eliminate the risk of benign tax twice on the same taxable income.

• The selection of the right business structure can be an important step in developing strategic corporate tax strategies, as businesses operating in the free zone jurisdictions can benefit from more tax advantages as compared to mainland businesses that are not eligible to enjoy tax exemptions.

2. Tax Optimization for Global Businesses

Tax optimization is an excellent way to increase profitability and reduce tax liabilities while maintaining compliance with the standard legal framework. Key methods in this process are:

• The recognition of revenue or income later than it was generated or earned and increasing expenses can result in reducing the taxable income annually.

• The second method that MNEs can utilize is taking advantage of all the valid deductions, like operational costs, marketing expenses, loan interests, machinery expenses, etc., as they can significantly lower their tax liability.

• Businesses must understand the cruciality of overlooking promoting assets during favorable periods and must benefit from depreciation schedules effectively, as timings of asset purchases and disposals can affect tax liability. 

3. Compliance & Reporting Requirements

The latest amendments in the UAE corporate tax laws demand great compliance of MNEs to reduce legal complications and hefty penalties. Some of the compliance requirements they must adhere to are:

• All companies with taxable income and sales margin exceeding the taxpayer eligibility standards must undergo corporate tax registration with the Emirates Federal Tax Authority and secure a unique Tax Registration Number to comply with FTA guidelines.

• The compliance requirement is to file for the annual corporate tax returns within the specified period of nine months after the end of the economic year to avoid penalties.

• Another important compliance and reporting requirement is to maintain accurate financial records of a business’s taxation and legal responsibilities of the last 7 years, as accurate records ease the reporting process and ensure compliance.

Conclusion

Despite the latest amendments to the UAE’s corporate tax system, the country remains one of the most favorable destinations for global enterprises. Its strategic location, world-class infrastructure, strong telecommunication connectivity, and other advantages continue to attract businesses. To maintain a competitive edge while ensuring compliance, MNEs must focus on developing strategic and effective corporate tax planning strategies.

Let Taskmaster Commercial Broker LLC, the leading loan broker and taxation advisory agency in the Emirates, be your partner in ideal tax planning. With years of experience and expertise in local and global taxation guidelines, we guarantee the right solutions to empower our clients’ businesses. We understand that strategic tax planning not only involves the minimization of tax liability but also compliance of the multinational businesses with the UAE taxation guidelines.

Also Read – UAE Corporate Tax: What It Means for E-Commerce Businesses