All six countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council remain committed to introducing value-added tax although they will do so at different speeds, a senior International Monetary Fund official said.

 "My feeling, through my interaction with the authorities, is that they are still committed and they are still preparing implementation," Jihad Azour, head of the IMF's Middle East department, said in an interview.

The GCC states originally intended to introduce VAT simultaneously in January. Saudi Arabia and the UAE continue to say they will do so and have made considerable preparations, but some other countries are much less further along in preparing.

"The speed of implementation of it will vary - some will come in 2018, some may need more time," Azour said.

GCC states have agreed to introduce VAT at a 5 per cent rate in 2018 - a big step for governments that have traditionally levied little tax.

However, the plan poses administrative and technical challenges for authorities, requiring them to draft detailed regulations, register companies paying the tax and create bureaucracies to oversee the system. Some experts maintain that VAT also threatens to slow economic growth at a time when it is already sluggish.

Tax experts in the region believe Kuwait, in particular, may lag, because of its slow-moving civil service and because its relatively independent parliament may want a say in the process. Officials in Oman have not announced a firm date for VAT, while Bahraini officials have said it is expected by mid-2018.

Source: Khaleej Times