Selected supplies in sectors such as transportation, real estate, financial services will be completely exempt from VAT
The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has announced the supplies that will be subject to Value Added Tax (VAT) as of January 1, 2018, revealing selected sectors that will be assigned zero-rated tax, such as education, healthcare, oil and gas, transportation and real estate.
Read MoreWill the Louvre Abu Dhabi’s opening have a knock-on effect on real estate prices?
While this month’s opening of the UAE’s newest icon, Louvre Abu Dhabi, is expected to add vigour to the country’s tourism efforts, stakeholders in real estate are hoping the positive sentiment will have a knock-on effect on property. It is still too early to tell how rents and prices in the Saadiyat neighbourhood will react to the Louvre’s opening, but real estate consultants expect a boost, in the same way landmark projects such as the Burj Khalifa pushed demand for nearby properties.
Read MoreThe St Thomas Orthodox Cathedral in Oud Metha was established on December 2, 1968, when Fr K. K. Punnoose, vicar of Bahrain Orthodox Church, visited Dubai and conducted a holy mass.
A church, that was established even before the formation of the UAE, began a year-long golden jubilee celebration of its congregation in Dubai on Friday.
Read MoreSouth Africa successfully defended their Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens title after beating New Zealand 24-12 on Saturday.
The reigning world series champions unleashed all their attacking firepower in what was a breathtaking display of sevens rugby across the two days. With his most experienced side ever, head coach Neil Powell notched up his fifth tournament win of 2017 and continued South Africa's dominance on the global stage.
Read MoreIn the lead up to the 2016 fiscal year, the Dubai Health Authority’s (DHA) initial expectation was to attract 170,000 medical tourists during the year. However, fuelled by the success of the creation of the Dubai Health Experience (DXH), a brand conceived by the DHA to build strategic partnerships with both the private and government sector to strengthen Dubai’s position on the world’s medical tourism map, the government has reported that this milestone was exceeded and the ambitious goal of attracting 500,000 medical tourists to the emirate by 2020 is fully on track.
Read MoreDubai will need approximately 134 new schools to accommodate 200,600 new seats in time for the 2027/2028 school year, presenting potentially lucrative opportunities for investors and operators to build affordable schools, according to a new report from commercial real estate services provider Colliers International.
Read MoreElsewhere in the world, it's Black Friday, but here in Dubai, we call it White Friday out of respect for the day of worship and the gathering of friends and family.
Today is also the start of the three Day Super Sale where retailers across the city will slash prices, with discounts of 30-90% off on in-demand items over the course of the weekend.
The developers of Dubai have joined in, and many have announced launches and deals to coincide with the retail madness
SME sector in the GCC presents a potential of $920bln with 156% growth in the next five years.
The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector in the GCC region has the potential to employ over 22 million people in the next five years, a new study by Mena Research Partners (MRP) has found.
Read MoreDubai is expected to welcome 17 million visitors in 2017 making it the 6th most visited city on the planet. Over a million of those visitors will come from the UK , I am amazed that Dubai receives more visitors than places like Paris, New York, Tokyo and Rome. The rate of growth is up there with Mumbai and Delhi, read more here
More visitors meansmore business for Dubai and higher numbers of people choosing to stay for longer and hopefully settle. This week's property discussions and site visits have included the following:
We will never learn how to pump gas or fit the entire Burj Khalifa into a picture. Being a new expat in the stunning city of Dubai is something to get excited about! But, after living here for a while, you begin to face things that just wouldn't happen anywhere else in the world.
Here are 12 fun and innocent #DubaiProblems you will definitely face when living here.
Read MoreIn the Middle East, Dubai, with 11.2% growth and 17 million visitors expected this year, and Mecca, with 9.8% growth and 8.7 million expected, were 2017's biggest winners in this region.
Read MoreDid you know that overseas residents are able to obtain mortgages from UAE Banks to purchase property in Dubai?
Dubai developers selling off-plan properties have payment plans of 30%, 40% or 50% due during construction and the final payment can be paid using part cash and/or a mortgage.
Clients purchasing property can take full advantage of the developer's investor-friendly payment plan and in some cases will obtain the 50% LTV mortgage during construction and then re-mortgage once the property is completed and is rented, at which time they can obtain a Maximum 75% LTV based upon the property valuation and applicant circumstances.
