Passenger seat belts - New traffic law will come into effect from July in U.AE

Drivers will be fined Dh400 for each passenger who is found without a seatbelt inside the vehicle, a senior official told Gulf News on Saturday.

General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, head of the UAE Federal Traffic Council, said that even if the if the driver is wearing his seatbelt, he can be fined if other passengers on the back seats are not wearing seatbelts.

“The fine is Dh400 for each passenger not wearing a seatbelt, so if the driver is wearing a seatbelt and other three passengers are not wearing it, then he needs to pay Dh1,200 in total for the three passengers, with four traffic points. Drivers are responsible for ensuring that passengers are using the seatbelt,” General Al Zafein said.

The new regulations, covering a comprehensive range of traffic discipline issues and violations, will be implemented on the first of July, according to General Al Zafein.

Officially signed by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, the new regulations cover multiple violations, the penalties for which include heavy fines, black points, and impounding of vehicles.

Gen Al Zafein said that the new rules will restrict short people and children below 10 years of age from sitting in the front passenger seat given that the seatbelt can choke the person.

“Children under 10 and every person who his less than 145 cm in height will be banned from sitting on the passenger front seat. Officers can fine the driver Dh400. If the person is taller than 145 cm, then he needs to show any document showing his height or he can complain against the fine with the traffic department,” he said.

He added that appropriate child car seats must be used for all children under the age of four. Lack of child safety seats for children up to four years of age will invite a Dh400 fine and four black points.

Official statistics show that 725 people died in traffic accidents in the UAE last year and the new traffic law will help to reduce the number of death on the roads, Gen. Al Zafein said. “We want to reach a figure of 3 deaths for every 100,000 people in the UAE. This law will help us in reaching our target for safer and better roads,” he added.

RTA provides ‘student parking’ cards for college students in U.A.E

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced the issuance of a subscription card branded "Student Parking" as part of its community-oriented initiatives for this segment. The initiative targets students who are studying in colleges, universities and higher academic institutions in Dubai emirate with a view to realizing RTA’s third strategic goal "People Happiness."

Usama Al Safi, Director of Parking at RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency said, “The gesture is part of RTA’s initiatives and is in line with the Dubai Government drive to realize people happiness and deliver diverse and distinctive services to all community members. The ‘Student Parking’ card is issued to students of universities & higher academic institutions in Dubai and entitles them to use public parking lots around campuses within a 500-meter radius, bearing codes A, B, C and D, against a fee of Dh300 per three months.

“Documents required to obtain the Student Parking card are: approved certificate from the university or college proving that the applicant is registered as a student, the applicant's driving license, and a vehicle ownership card in the name of the applicant or any of his or her first or second-degree relatives. The Parking Card bears specific details for validation such as vehicle registration number, type of card, validity date, and authorized areas.

“A maximum of three vehicles can be added to a single card providing that it is used for only one vehicle at a time. The card should be displayed on the vehicle windscreen to avoid offences, and is invalid for use in reserved or designated parking slots for other entities or categories,” noted Maitha. She called on university & college students in Dubai to make use of the Student Parking card to facilitate finding suitable parking and avoid delay in attending classes and exams by communicating with RTA’s customer service via 8009090 or visiting the website (www.rta.ae).

U.A.E Ministry sets minimum turnover requirement for VAT registration

Those that offer services or sell goods that are non-taxable will also not need to get bothered by the extensive paperwork and reporting that the new tax system will require.The Ministry of Finance issued an announcement on Tuesday that effectively sets Dh375,000 as the minimum annual turnover requirement for companies that are required to register for value-added tax (VAT) which will be implemented in the UAE on January 1st, 2018.

Businesses in the UAE that barely make money every year - be they a streetside eatery, a shawarma vendor or a barber shop - may not need to go through the tedious process of registering for the value-added tax.

“Businesses with taxable suppliers over Dh375,000 will be required to register for VAT,” the announcement on Twitter reads. Those with net sales “below Dh375,000 but over Dh187,500,” will have the option to register starting October this year.There were no further details issued regarding the new policy, but one tax expert said that small businesses who may opt out of tax registration don’t have to charge VAT to their customers.

“The ministry has announced that those with revenue below 375K but over 187K will have an option to register. Which means that they may if they like, register under VAT. But if they don't then they do not have to collect VAT from their customers,” said Rakesh Pardasani, partner at audit and tax advisory firm RSM.

The ministry had earlier said that not all businesses, especially small companies, will need to register for the new tax policy. “In simple terms, only businesses that meet a certain minimum annual turnover requirement will have to register for VAT,” it said.

“We have made this decision to safeguard small businesses from the extensive documentation and reporting that a system like VAT requires.”

Pardasani, however, said that the revenue requirement set by the Ministry of Finance would mean that many small business owners will still be obliged to collect VAT.

“This number, however, if it is an annual number, appears to be very small and it may bring a lot of small businesses within the scope of VAT.”

He also pointed out that companies who make less turnover are still given an option to register for the new tax system. “Some may prefer [to register even if they are exempt] because if they don’t, they may not be able to claim back the VAT paid on their purchases.”

Starting next year, a 5 per cent levy will be charged on all supplies of goods and services, unless specifically exempted or zero-rated, in the UAE.  The levy will be implemented across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, with some states given an option to join in on January 1st, 2019.

The ministry had earlier announced the start of its country-wide awareness campaign to educate various stakeholders on the collection of VAT. A VAT law has yet to be enacted, but the Federal National Council on Wednesday passed a draft legislation, the Tax Procedure Bill, that will pave the way for the collection of taxes.

Several briefings for entrepreneurs – from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to huge multinational organisations – will be held on different dates between April and May this year.

The sessions will explain to companies the rules of the new VAT system and cover the general application of the new VAT rules.

New Traffic Rules and Fines in U.A.E

The UAE government on Tuesday introduced new amendments to federal traffic laws, in a bid to make the country's roads safer.

According to these amendments, passengers will be fined for not wearing seat belts, while children up to four years of age must sit in special child seats.

Children aged 10 and above can now sit on the front seat, but they must be at least 145 cm tall.

Here are the salient features of the decree on the new rules:

• Children up to 4 years of age must be seated in special child seats
• Children aged 10 and above can sit in the front seat, but they must be at least 145 cm tall. Earlier, children under 10 years old were not allowed to sit in the front seat of a vehicle and the offense would draw a fine of Dh400 along with 4 black points.

• Illegally carrying/transporting passengers now draws a fine of Dh3,000 (up from Dh200), 24 black points instead of 4 black points, and the vehicle will be impounded for one-month instead of seven days.
•  Along with drivers, now even passengers will face fines for failing to wear seat belts.

Until today, drivers were fined Dh400 and got 4 black points for failing to fastening seat belts.