UAE FTA's whistleblower programme comes into effect today

Abu Dhabi: A new whistleblower programme by the UAE Federal Tax Authority (FTA) will come into effect from Friday, April 15.

The Raqeeb programme for “tax violations and evasion” will help raise the level of tax compliance in the country and reduce tax evasion cases.

The programme will allow the FTA to receive reports from individuals on tax evasion cases, tax-related fraud, and violations of tax legislation. It also allows the authority to verify the reports and grant monetary rewards to informants if the report leads the authority to collect tax amounts worth more than Dh50,000.

FTA Director-General Khalid Ali Al Bustani said tax evasion was one of the most significant challenges that tax systems around the world faced.

“By implementing the whistleblower program for tax violations and evasion, the Authority strives to provide an opportunity for all segments of the community to contribute to regulatory efforts, help protect markets and public funds from tax evasion, drive compliance among all taxpayers, and prevent illegal practices,” said Al Bustani.

“The program contributes in strengthening the concept of community partnership to reduce harmful practices in local markets and help protect the UAE’s financial resources.”

The authority explained that under the programme, the FTA may use the information provided by the informant to detect violations and tax evasion, determine the procedures for approving monetary rewards and the powers to grant such rewards, and determine the procedures and conditions that must be followed. The authority may also set the requirements that must be fulfilled in relation to any information provided by the informant; including requirements for proof, verification, and documentation, along with other conditions and requirements necessary for the administration or implementation of the whistleblower programme for tax violations and evasion.