Symbolic illustration · Fiscal Policy / Haber Paper
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The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) announced an AI-supported tourist VAT refund platform developed with Planet on 20 October. It is operating at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Airport and Sharjah International Airport. Tourists register identity and payment details in the app, then scan a dynamic QR code at the airport to begin a claim. If an inspection is needed, the system directs them to a smart gate with facial recognition; eligible claims can be completed in the app when no physical inspection is required.
The FTA says the refund completion period has fallen from about nine days to one business day. It reported 93% customer satisfaction for the first nine months of 2026 and projects about 4 million transactions and AED 692 million in refunds between November 2026 and October 2027. Those are the authority’s service indicators and forward estimates. The FTA also said that from the scheme’s 2018 launch through October 2026 it had refunded about AED 4.2 billion across 25 million transactions.
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The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) announced an AI-supported tourist VAT refund platform developed with Planet on 20 October. It is operating at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Airport and Sharjah International Airport. Tourists register identity and payment details in the app, then scan a dynamic QR code at the airport to begin a claim. If an inspection is needed, the system directs them to a smart gate with facial recognition; eligible claims can be completed in the app when no physical inspection is required.
The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) announced an AI-supported tourist VAT refund platform developed with Planet on 20 October. It is operating at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, Dubai International Airport and Sharjah International Airport. Tourists register identity and payment details in the app, then scan a dynamic QR code at the airport to begin a claim. If an inspection is needed, the system directs them to a smart gate with facial recognition; eligible claims can be completed in the app when no physical inspection is required.
A four-day RTA challenge with Canadian University Dubai and Mistral AI produced concepts for signals, congestion prediction and intersection coordination.
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