- Saudi Arabia announced VAT refunds for tourists on goods and services purchased in the Kingdom.
- The Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority amended VAT regulations to allow a 0% VAT rate for eligible goods and services for tourists.
- Refunds will be processed by authorized service providers upon tourists’ departure.
- Tourists from GCC countries will be treated as international tourists for VAT refunds until the Electronic Services Law is implemented.
- Businesses transferring economic activities must notify ZATCA within 30 days unless deregistered.
- Deregistered businesses must retain tax records and remain liable for prior obligations.
- Approximately 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims risk missing Hajj 2025 due to delays and mismanagement by private tour operators.
- PKR 36 billion collected from pilgrims is stuck in Saudi Arabia, with the government offering to adjust funds for next year’s pilgrimage.
- Delays in approving Pakistan’s Hajj Policy 2025 prevented timely application submissions by private operators.
- Only 23,620 pilgrims will perform Hajj 2025 under the private scheme, down from the usual 90,000.
Source: arynews.tv
Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.
