Shoura member urges 20% tax on Saudi investments abroad

Arab News
August 2, 2017

Riyadh, Aug 2: A Shoura Council member has called for a 20 percent tax on Saudi investments abroad, as is the case with foreign investments in the Kingdom, local media reported.

The proposed tax will generate billions of riyals in state income and contribute to the national economy by offsetting the exit of Saudi capital investments, Fahd bin Jumaa, deputy chairman of the Financial Committee at the Shoura Council, told Al-Hayat daily.

Based on the latest data released by the Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corp. (Dhaman), direct Saudi investments in foreign countries amounted to nearly SR155.3 billion ($41.4 billion) between 2003 and 2015, he said.

There were 526 Saudi projects abroad owned by 240 companies in more than 30 foreign and Arab countries, creating more than 96,000 jobs, he said, adding that this was a loss to the Saudi economy.

Tax evasion could be avoided by signing tax-evasion agreements with countries, and the proposal will help achieve the objectives of Vision 2030, he said.

According to UN Conference on Trade and Development estimates, the cost of Saudi foreign direct investment projects is close to SR155.25 billion.

China, Turkey, the UAE, Jordan, South Korea, Egypt, Lebanon, South Africa, Pakistan and the US are reportedly on the list of countries with Saudi investments.

The Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) topped the list of Saudi companies investing abroad, implementing 81 projects with investments estimated at SR37.5 billion.

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Agencies
January 11,2020

Muscat, Jan 11: Oman's Culture and Heritage Minister, Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, took oath as country's Sultan on Saturday following the demise of Qaboos bin Said al-Said, the country's government confirmed on Saturday.

Sputnik quoted a report by sultanate's Al-Roya newspaper as saying that the new Sultan " affirmed the continuation of the country's modernisation and development in various fields."

The development comes after Qaboos bin Said, who had served as the ruler of Oman since 1970, died Friday at the age of 79.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condoled Qaboos's demise and remembered him as the "beacon of peace for India and the world". 

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Agencies
July 28,2020

Dubai, Jul 28: Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) (ADCB.AD) is letting go hundreds of employees, sources said, the latest in a round of lay-offs by regional banks as pressure mounts to cut costs amid lower oil prices and the coronavirus crisis.

The UAE’s third-biggest lender is laying off 400 employees, two sources familiar with the matter said, after it had committed to not cutting staff because of the crisis.

In a statement, a spokesman said ADCB had pursued efficiency over the last decade by managing out its lowest underachievers after regular reviews, while ensuring talent was deployed in high-growth areas, such as digital banking.

“A certain number of redundancies are therefore expected every year in the normal course of business,” the bank spokesman added.

The sources said the cuts would involve ADCB’s consumer business and several in top management were among those being let go. One source said the bank was looking to close 20 branches.

In March, ADCB had declared, “No employee will be made redundant during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

UAE banks have been hit by government measures to rein in the spread of the virus, forcing many businesses to shut temporarily.

Last week, Dubai’s largest bank, Emirates NBD, reported a slump of 58% in profits. In June, sources told Reuters the bank started a new round of hundreds of lay-offs.

In May, ADCB reported a fall of 84% in first-quarter net profit as it took impairments of $292 million on debt exposure to troubled hospital operator NMC Health and payments group Finablr.

It was a major lender, with an exposure of about $981 million, to NMC Health, which went into administration this year after months of turmoil following questions over financial reporting.

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News Network
February 24,2020

Dubai, Feb 24: Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed on Monday their first novel coronavirus cases, the countries' health ministries announced, adding all had come from Iran.

Kuwait reported three infections and Bahrain one in citizens who had returned home from the Islamic republic.

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