Practical tax advisory for businesses operating in the UAE and across the GCC. We help companies navigate UAE corporate tax, VAT compliance, tax due diligence for M&A transactions, and international tax structuring. CFA-led by a CFA, CA and ACCA qualified team. Fixed fee. No surprises.
Last updated: July 2026
From corporate tax compliance to pre-deal tax due diligence, we cover the full tax advisory spectrum for mid-market businesses and investors operating in the UAE and GCC.
The UAE introduced a 9% corporate tax regime in 2023. We help businesses assess their CT exposure, register with the FTA, structure their group for optimal efficiency, and manage their ongoing compliance obligations, including transfer pricing documentation.
VAT in the UAE is 5% but the compliance landscape is more complex than the headline rate suggests, particularly for businesses with cross-border supplies, exempt sectors, or complex input tax recovery positions. We advise on registration, structuring, and FTA dispute resolution.
Before completing an acquisition in the UAE or GCC, buyers need to understand the target's full tax exposure, not just the headline profit. We conduct independent tax due diligence reviews covering CT, VAT, withholding tax, and cross-border tax risks that could affect the deal price or structure.
Businesses operating across GCC borders or with international operations may be entitled to reclaim withholding taxes and excess VAT payments. We identify and pursue legitimate reclaim opportunities, including FTA refund applications and treaty-based withholding tax recoveries.
Most tax advisors focus on compliance. We focus on the commercial impact of your tax position, whether that's structuring a deal, defending an FTA audit, or making sure your free zone status actually holds up.
Every engagement is handled directly by our senior CFA, CA and ACCA qualified team with 15+ years of combined Big 4 and top-tier consulting training. You won't be passed to a junior team after the pitch.
Because we also do M&A advisory and financial due diligence, our tax due diligence integrates seamlessly with the broader deal process, saving time and reducing gaps between workstreams.
All engagements are quoted on a fixed-fee basis before work begins. Our incentive is to do the work efficiently and well, not to run the clock.
The main taxes are Corporate Tax at 9% on taxable income above AED 375,000 (0% below, and 0% for free zone entities on qualifying income), VAT at 5% on most goods and services, excise tax on specific products, and customs duties on imports. There is no personal income tax. Large multinational groups face a 15% Pillar Two minimum tax from 2025. The UAE also has over 140 double tax treaties relevant to cross-border structures.
Until recently the UAE was effectively tax-free for most businesses. With Corporate Tax, transfer pricing rules, expanding FTA audit activity, and free zone qualifying income tests, tax has become a real financial and compliance risk. The businesses most exposed are owner-managed groups with related-party transactions, free zone entities with mainland revenue, and companies entering M&A transactions where historic tax positions become deal liabilities.
Fixed fees agreed before work begins for defined-scope engagements such as CT registration and filings, VAT health checks, and tax due diligence. Recovery-linked pricing is available for reclaim work. Tax advisory is integrated with our M&A, valuation, and due diligence services, which matters because most significant UAE tax decisions arise inside transactions.
Transfer pricing rules govern how related UAE and cross-border entities price transactions between each other – management fees, intercompany loans, goods, and services. UAE Corporate Tax requires arm's-length pricing supported by documentation once a group exceeds the relevant revenue and related-party thresholds. Groups with UAE-Saudi, UAE-India, or other cross-border related-party dealings are commonly in scope.
Free zone entities that meet Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) conditions can pay 0% CT on qualifying income, but mainland-sourced or excluded income is taxed at the standard 9% rate. Getting the income classification wrong is one of the most common and costly free zone tax mistakes we see – it should be reviewed before, not after, filing.
A tax health check reviews your CT and VAT filings, free zone qualifying income position, and related-party transactions against current FTA rules, before the FTA does. It is most valuable ahead of a tax audit trigger event – rapid growth, a change in business activity, or an upcoming transaction – where correcting an issue proactively is materially cheaper than a penalty.
Yes. We review input VAT recovery positions, identify VAT incorrectly charged or missed on eligible expenses, and prepare FTA reclaim submissions. This is offered on recovery-linked pricing, so there is no upfront fee if no recoverable VAT is identified.
Historic CT and VAT exposure becomes the buyer's problem after completion, so tax due diligence quantifies unfiled or under-filed positions, free zone qualifying income risk, and transfer pricing exposure before signing. These findings routinely feed into price adjustments, escrow, or specific indemnities in the SPA.