KUWAIT CITY: The National Assembly’s financial and economic affairs committee yesterday appeared headed to approve proposals to impose taxes on money transfers by expatriates despite financial and constitutional objections. Head of the committee MP Salah Khorshid said the panel decided to postpone the voting on the issue until a future meeting, after members agree on one of the four proposals that have reached the panel.
Khorshid rejected claims that imposing taxes on expatriates’ remittances would tarnish Kuwait’s image abroad and may involve constitutional suspicions, as it discriminates between citizens and foreigners. Justifying a possible decision to tax expats, Khorshid said some Gulf states impose similar taxes on expatriates’ transfers, without naming any state. In fact, none of the five Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states – Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates – impose such taxes.
