Every year, United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduces significant changes to its laws to make life easier for residents as well as expatriates. The new laws range from marriage reforms that don’t follow Sharia law to mandatory unemployment insurance.
Here are the four new laws that UAE enacted in 2023:
The Involuntary Loss of Employment (ILOE) plan was launched this year. It’s a social security initiative that will provide laid-off workers with up to three months of compensation.
Private and public sector workers, including locals and expatriates, are required to register, while domestic workers, contract employees, minors (under the age of 18), and pensioners, working somewhere, are exempt from it. Also, all employees must register for the insurance scheme before 30 June 2022, otherwise, they will be fined AED 400.
Dubai abolished the 30% alcohol sales tax and made getting a mandatory liquor license completely free, thereby removing a major source of revenue for the Emirates’ ruling family.
UAE’s new Federal Personal Status Law allows non-Muslims to wed in a non-Sharia procedure, and it will be in effect from February 2023. The same law was initially introduced in Abu Dhabi in February 2022, allowing non-Muslims to tie the knot in civil court.
In addition, the new law permits either spouse to seek the court’s permission to end the marriage without presenting an explanation or cause for doing so. If divorcees have children, joint or equal custody will be given until the children turn 18 years old. In the event of a custody dispute, the court will decide what is best for the children’s welfare. If witness testimony is needed, the woman’s testimony will be considered equal to that of a man.
Businesses in the UAE will have to pay corporate tax starting from 1 June 2023. In this regard, a standard rate of 9% will be taxed on profits over AED 375,000. However, small and new businesses with profits lower than the aforementioned number will be exempt.
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