Federal Tax Authority’s Customer Council outlines procedures for recovering VAT Incurred on Construction and Operation of Mosques

• The Council was convened by the Authority in collaboration with the Department of Islamic Affairs in Sharjah.

Sharjah, UAE - 2 May 2023 – In collaboration with the Department of Islamic Affairs in Sharjah, the Federal Tax Authority (FTA) held a new session under the Customer Councils initiative, launched by the UAE Government to improve the quality of government services by engaging customers in designing innoVATive experiences based on their ideas and suggestions.

The Council that the Authority convened in Sharjah was attended by a group  of donors wishing to recover the Value Added Tax (VAT) they incurred on the construction and operation of mosques. It included an overview of the Customer Councils initiative, before a team of experts from  FTA gave an induction on the conditions and mechanism for recovering VAT collected on constructing and operating mosques, launched by the Federal Tax Authority, in line with the Cabinet Decision and Ministerial Decision in that regard, which applies to all mosques in the UAE.

As per the mechanism, refund requests are submitted within specific timelines based on the date of completion of the construction of the mosque or the start date of operation of the mosque by the applicant.

Participants were able to ask questions to be answered by  FTA’s experts and communicated their views and obserVATions about the VAT refund mechanism on the construction and operation of mosques, as well as the Authority’s services in general. Attendees also shared their perspectives and suggestions for the continuous improvement of these services.

The Authority affirmed its commitment to communicating directly with customers and engaging them in the continuous development and modernisation plans that the FTA undertakes to meet their aspirations.

Customer Councils are an integrated platform that aims to facilitate communication between customers and the UAE Government 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. The 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.