Corporate Tax

Basis of Taxation

Basis of Taxation

[Based on the Public Consultation Document released by the Ministry of Finance, UAE on 28 April 2022.]

Taxation of Residents:

UAE resident persons will be taxable in the UAE on their worldwide income.

Exception:

  • The income of a natural person will be taxable only if it is earned from their business activity carried out in the UAE
  • Certain Income of legal person earned from overseas, viz:-
    • income from a foreign branch
    • income from qualifying foreign shareholdings
Where income earned from abroad is not exempt, income taxes paid in the foreign jurisdiction can be taken as a credit against the Corporate Tax payable in the UAE on the relevant income to prevent double taxation.

Resident for the purpose of Corporate Tax means:

  • A natural person engaged in business or commercial activity in the UAE, either in his own name or through an unincorporated partnership
  • A legal person that is incorporated in the UAE
  • A foreign company if it is effectively managed and controlled in the UAE

Taxation of Non-Residents:

Non-residents will be subject to UAE Corporate Tax on:
  • Taxable income from their Permanent Establishment in the UAE (Exemption is available for Investment Managers subject to conditions); and
  • Income is sourced in the UAE.

    Our comments:

    The Corporate Tax Consultation Document has indicated that the effective management and control test is a question of fact. It has also indicated that one will have to see where the directors / decision makers make the key management and commercial decisions. Thus, to determine residence status of a legal person, one will have to analyse where the decision makers meet and which country are they resident of.

    In this connection, analogy can be drawn from the Article 4 of the OECD Model Tax Treaty and its commentary.

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