The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) convened the ‘Customer Council’ to discuss ways to bolster tax culture and meet customers’ expectations, as part of the ‘Customer Councils’ initiative, launched by the UAE Government to enhance the quality of government services by engaging customers in the process of designing innovative experiences around their own ideas and suggestions.

The Authority stated that the Customer Council, which was held at Majlis Umm Suqiem in Dubai, brought together representatives of various business sectors and stakeholders from the tax sector. The session included an overview of the Customer Councils initiative, as well as a presentation by a team of FTA experts about the UAE tax system and its advanced procedures that encourage voluntary compliance among businesses with easy and quick processes that are in accordance with best practices.

The Customer Council organised by the FTA discussed the services provided by the Authority and its future directions, in addition to exploring a range of issues related to the tax system, procedures, and legislation, including procedures for submitting requests for reconsideration; requests to pay administrative penalties in instalments or be exempt from them; procedures and required documents for registration and deregistration; procedures for submitting voluntary declaration requests; and the documents required to submit refund requests. The session underlined the importance of adhering to all requirements and using the forms approved by the Authority.

The Customer Council discussed common errors that may occur during registration, submission of tax returns, or payment of due taxes, outlining ways to avoid them. FTA experts answered queries from representatives of business sectors, noting participants’ opinions and observations about the Authority’s services, as well as their feedback and suggestions for improving FTA services and procedures. This allows  FTA to achieve one of its key objectives, which is to engage customers in shaping a pioneering future for the UAE tax sector.

The Federal Tax Authority asserted its commitment to organising these ongoing meetings that aim to raise tax awareness in all business sectors, supporting them to overcome any challenges they may face and providing them with the information they need through constant communication with the FTA’s teams of experts.

Customer Councils aim to align the services provided by government entities with the aspirations of customers, understand their needs, and enhance communication with them, in an effort to streamline the process for accessing these services with minimal time and effort to complete transactions. These Councils seek innovative ways to develop and upgrade government services to meet the highest standards, establishing an effective and direct communication channel with customers from various segments, where ideas and initiatives that serve them can be presented and opportunities for improvement can be explored. Furthermore, the initiative offers a platform for presenting key projects that were designed based on takeaways of Customer Councils sessions.

-End-