Shamma Al Mazrui excited to see next generation support climate change fight

An Emirati minister said she was "beaming with pride" over the empowerment of young people ready to help to shape the green agenda before the UAE's hosting of the Cop28 global climate change conference next year.

Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth, hailed the UAE's efforts to invest in the next generation and harness their potential to drive the country's development.

Ms Al Mazrui said she was excited to see youth being given a platform to play a significant role in the decision-making process.

“I am very excited for the Federal National Council elections happening next year and the role of youth in parliament," she said.

Cop28 will be held at Expo City Dubai and the meeting of world leaders in November 2023 will seek to find solutions to the problems posed by climate change.

The Cabinet member was part of President Sheikh Mohamed's landmark visit to France last week, during which she shared the UAE's vision for youth with French contemporaries.

“Our discussion with the youth minister [of France] was more what they could also learn from the UAE," Ms Al Mazrui told The National.

"We shared our youth council model with them. We talked about how we can involve youths within the decision-making process and I think this is inspiring for them as well — to think about institutionalising and use their voice in their decision-making.”

UAE students make mark in France

During the visit, Ms Al Mazrui joined Sheikh Mohamed in meeting Emirati students attending universities in France.

He urged them to strive to achieve academic excellence, which he said would enable them to contribute to the UAE's growth.

Sheikh Mohamed said students studying abroad had an important ambassadorial role for their country, which included demonstrating the values of tolerance, co-existence and intercultural dialogue that underpin the Emirati community.

“What I think inspired me was to see how the UAE has empowered youths and given them opportunities to work in France and learn," Ms Al Mazrui said.

"That's exactly what the leadership believes is the most important investment. The fact that His Highness’s first stop, right after he landed was to see these young people and to hear their stories, to understand their aspirations, shows the power of the leadership listening to and engaging youth as the vital and most important aspect.

“I'm beaming with pride with the amount of responsibility that our leadership have given youth."

Ms Al Mazrui praised the policies in place to assist young people, such as ensuring representation for youth on federal bodies and ministries.

She said one of the biggest challenges facing youth ministers around the world was the difficulty of working across all sectors and communicating with ministers in each of those fields.

But she said that problem has been eliminated in the UAE, "because each minister already has a youth council".

"So the voice of youth has already addressed and reached leadership, which is a smart way of decentralising youth empowerment, by empowering the mass of youth,” she said.

President Sheikh Mohamed's state visit - in pictures

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Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

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

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

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

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

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

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