The Dubai government allows customers to pay fees for more than 1,200 services through the e-Pay portal.

Dubai’s Department of Finance (DoF) announced on Sunday that it would waive the commission on the payment of all government transaction fees that customers incur when paying the fees from their current and savings bank accounts, through the smart Dubai portal (e-Pay).

DoF said no commission would be collected when government customers pay the service fees of any Dubai government entity through the e-Pay portal, with the bank direct debit, confirming that “the commission collection has now become invalid”.

“Exceeding Dh150 million annually, DoF will bear the costs of commissions paid to the authorised collectors of government fees through smart channels, on behalf of customers, being individuals or companies,” said Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, director-general of DoF.

“Symbolising the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, we want to encourage digital transformation and raise customer happiness.”

Customers’ payments of government services fees through credit cards continue to occupy the largest share among the government-approved smart payment channels, said Jamal Hamed Al Marri, executive director of the Central Accounts Sector at DoF.

"This is attributed to the ease of using credit cards and the privileges that banks offer their holders. We found that many customers, on the other hand, want to pay government transaction fees through direct debit cards linked to their bank accounts, both current and saving. Therefore, we decided to cancel the commission that was imposed on the use of direct debit cards, in order to encourage customers, and provide them with more payment options,” Al Marri, added.