The UAE Ministry of Finance has announced the launch of its first smart phone application, which allows users to request the issuance of tax domicile and value added tax (VAT) certificates.

Younis Haji Al Khouri, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, unveiled the new apps in the presence of Khalid Al Bustani, the assistant undersecretary for International Financial Relations at the ministry, Mariam Mohammad Al Amiri, the assistant undersecretary for the management of financial resources and a number of heads of departments at the Ministry.

The launch took place at the federal e- Government’s booth on the sidelines of Gitex expo in Dubai.

Commenting on the launch, Al Bustani stressed the ministry's commitment to the government’s drive to provide ‘smart’ services to both corporate entities and individuals.

This is yet another step towards the development and modernisation of the electronic applications available to customers, which aim to support the ministry’s work to deliver the best possible government financial services for the least time, effort and cost, he noted.

The ministry's customers can access the new application and request for Tax Domicile and VAT certificates to be issued to them through the use of smart phones with ‘Android’ or ‘IOS’ software and without the need to visit or access the Ministry’s premises or website.

According to Al Bustani, the customers will be able to present the required documents through their smart phone’s camera and easily upload them to the application.

In addition, the fees for the issuance of the tax domicile and VAT certificates will be settled through the Ministry e-Dirham system, which is a simple and secure method of electronic payment. The fees for governmental and non- governmental transactions will be collected via the electronic gateway, he added.-TradeArabia News Service