UAE’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has introduced a new electronic system for registering excise goods as part of its plans to further improve excise tax procedures and the tax system, according to a press release issued today.

The new system offers accurate and transparent procedures for registering excise goods with clear guidelines and standards in addition to new reporting requirements related to excise tax returns and declarations, the press release added.

The requirements, mentioned clearly in the new guide, include products details, ingredients, marketing information including images and videos, lab tests in some cases, and the retail price of the product based on the UAE retailers or in the relevant country in case it is not sold in the UAE.

Image credit: WAM (Emirates News Agency

The FTA release stated that any person who manufactures or imports excise goods to be sold in local markets is subject to excise tax. This also includes the person who stockpiles the said goods or releases them from a designated area. The authority has urged all relevant businesses to ensure that their excises goods are registered in the new system as per the terms and conditions stipulated in the Cabinet Decision on excise goods.

There is no threshold for excise tax, which means that any business that involves excise goods has to register in the new system, calculate its tax amounts and refer to the FTA website for information and manuals that outline the required procedures for producers and importers of excise goods, and for excise goods stored in designated zones, the authority added.