FTA outlines procedures for recovering VAT incurred on construction and operation of mosques

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 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.