A prominent UAE entrepreneur and champion of education, PA Ibrahim Haji, has died in India.
Mr Haji, who was 78, hailed from the town of Pallikere in Kerala and had lived in the Emirates for more than 50 years, heading businesses and schools in India and the Middle East.
In 1967, Mr Haji started his remarkable career in the UAE with a job as salesman in the spare parts division of Austin (British Motors Corporation).
He joined Galadari Automobiles (Mazda Distributors) as spare parts manager in 1972.
He was later appointed as manager of Al Hashar Automobiles' spare parts division and by 1974 had saved enough to start a small business of garments and cosmetics in Dubai.
In 1976, he launched a joint venture, Century Trading, which is a part of Al Shamali Group of Companies.
He was one of the key investors of Malabar Gold and Diamonds and the managing director of the Al Shamali Group in Dubai.
In 1999, Mr Haji founded the Pace Education Group, under which he established many engineering colleges in India and schools in the Middle East. The group runs the Gulf Asian English School in Sharjah.
Tributes pour in
Syed Khalil, former group executive director of Ilyas and Mustafa Galadari Group and former vice chairman of the Jashanmal Group of Companies, paid tribute to his "soft-spoken" friend.
He said the UAE community would miss his presence.
Mr Khalil said he knew Mr Haji for the past 30 years and together they carried out social welfare projects.
“He was one of the finest men and did so much work to promote education in India and the Gulf.
"He was very soft-spoken and I never saw him losing his temper.
"When schools opened, I saw the way he greeted teachers. They would say he is a very good owner.
"I met him at a social function and we jointly founded an India-Arab association."
Mr Khalil said he and Mr Haji worked day and night to form the association in 1981, a time when Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had made a two-day visit to the UAE.
He said Mr Haji contributed greatly to the Indian community in the UAE.
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
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KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
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The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
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3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
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6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
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7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
