Indirect taxes - current trends across South Asia and UAE

ACCA and EY look at the evolution of VAT and current trends of indirect taxes across South Asia and UAE including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in this joint report.

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Tax is an instrument used to generate revenue and regulate national economies, it can be broadly divided into two categories: direct and indirect. 

In many developing countries the contribution of VAT - an indirect tax - in total tax collections is increasing over time. This can be owing to an increase in unemployment or low per capita income as well as to innate features of VAT that make it less prone to tax evasion than income taxes, which are easier to evade/avoid.

Given the importance of VAT, this study discusses its features and the problems commonly faced by South Asian countries. Further, we look at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which is in the process of introducing VAT and may benefit from the developments made in the VAT systems of various other countries.

Key recommendations in the report include:

  • Reduce tax concessions and tax amnesties, and avoid special regimes to protect the rudimentary character of VAT as a modern consumption tax.
  • Limit exemptions primarily to health, education, charity and basic essential food items (excluding those supplied at restaurants and hotels, etc.)
  • Use the services of VAT-experienced technical experts and professionals for smooth and trouble-free VAT implementation and management.
  • Reduce compliance cost but attract optimal voluntary compliance by building incentives into the tax system.
  • Share data among different government departments, organisations, institutions, authorities and agencies as well as between different government departments at regional and global level for BTB (broadening tax base) and anti-tax-evasion/avoidance purposes.
  • Make the VAT system a seamlessly integrated unified tax management regime with preference for single hand and single rate tax administration with a uni-declaration mechanism (in countries where powers to collect VAT are divided between the central/federal governments and the state/provincial governments).