The UAE has rolled back the 5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on gold and diamond sectors at the wholesale level. Retailers will continue to impose 5 per cent on all jewellery transactions taking place at their shops.
WAM reported that the gold, diamond and precious metals sector is one of the vital national economic sectors and one of the most important for the economic diversification. The move comes after demand for gold jewellery in the UAE plummeted in the first quarter.
Wholesale gold jewellery sales in Dubai fell 50 to 60 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier after VAT began on January 1, according to Chandu Siroya, vice chairman of the industry association Dubai Gold & Jewellery Group.
Dubai’s historic souk marketplace of mostly jewelry traders even has space available for the first time in years, he said in comments made last month.
Gold demand in the UAE hasn’t recovered since the 2008 global financial crisis, and dropped to a 20-year low in 2017, according to the World Gold Council.
The country, dominated by expats, sells most of its gold products to foreign jewellers, a proposition that became costly and cumbersome with the introduction of the tax this year.
Source Credit: Arabian Business
