Penalties and Fines on UAE VAT Tax Procedures

March 11, 2022Dated:  | |

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) amended the Value Added Tax (VAT) penalties in June 2021 via Cabinet Decision No. 49 of 2021. VAT penalties are of different types, such as certain penalties being administrative while the others are tax procedure-related penalties. 

This blog will explain the penalties and fines related to the UAE VAT procedures. 

Nature of ViolationPenalty Amount in AED
Failure to Maintain Required Records and other documentsAED 10,000 for the first-time AED 20,000 for subsequent violations
Failure to Submit Data in ArabicAED 20,000
Failure to submit VAT registration application within a given timeframe AED 10,000.
Failure to submit VAT de-registration application within a given timeframe AED 1,000 per month (maximum up to AED 10,000)
Failure to inform about the amendment in tax record AED 5,000 for the first-time violation AED 10,000 for repetition
Failure of legal representatives of the taxable person AED 10,000 from a legal representative’s funds
Failure of a legal representative to file VAT return of a taxpayer before due dateAED 1,000 for first-time violation  AED 2,000 for subsequent repetition within two years. 
Late filing of VAT return by a taxpayerAED 1,000 for first-time offense  AED 2,000 for subsequent recurrence within two years. 
Failure to settle the outstanding VAT in Voluntary Disclosure or Tax Assessment before the given due dateIf payment is made within a month after the due date, a penalty of 2% of the unpaid tax  If the late payment continues beyond one month, then the penalty of 4% per month up to maximum of 300% of the outstanding tax amount
Incorrect return submissionFixed penalty of AED 1,000 for the first-time violation and AED 2,000 for subsequent offenseMinimum penalty of AED 500 if the differentiating amount of tax is less than the fixed penalty
Submission of the Voluntary Disclosure (VD) for errors in return, tax assessment or refund application as per Article 10(1) and 10(2) of the Tax Procedures Law5% of the difference if the VD is submitted within 1 year10% of the difference if the VD is submitted within the second year20% of the difference if the VD is submitted within the third year30% of the difference if the VD is submitted within the fourth year40% of the difference if the VD is submitted after the fourth year
Failure to Voluntarily Disclose errors in the return, tax assessment or refund application as per Article 10(1) and 10(2) of the Tax Procedures Law before the taxpayer being notified of an audit50% of the error amount4% per month of the unpaid tax and the tax returnable to the authority refund for which the entity was ineligible.
Failure to facilitate work of a tax auditor AED 20,000
Failure to calculate tax on behalf of another person as required by the lawIf payment is made within a month after the due date, a penalty of 2% of the overdue amount  If the failure continues beyond one month, a penalty of 4% per month up to a maximum of 300% of the unsettled tax amount
Unaccounted VAT on imports50% of unpaid or undeclared tax amount

The above are the tax procedures-related penalties some of which have undergone significant changes under the amendment. You must know the penalties and fines to keep your organization’s VAT compliant. 

Read about the administrative penalties of VAT.

How Can We Help?

At Flyingcolourtax, we have a dedicated team of tax experts who can guide you on UAE VAT compliance matters. Our qualified professionals can also assist you in accounting, auditing, company registration, and PRO requirements. 

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