The UAE Ministry of Finance has recently issued two new Ministerial Decisions with significant implications for taxpayers operating in Free Zones.
Under the UAE Corporate Tax Law and Cabinet Decision No. 100 of 2023, a Qualifying Free Zone Person may benefit from a 0% Corporate Tax rate on its Qualifying Income, provided it meets the relevant conditions. In this context, the new Ministerial Decision No. 229 of 2025 on Qualifying and Excluded Activities clarifies and expands the scope of commodities and activities eligible for the preferential corporate tax treatment, while Ministerial Decision No. 230 of 2025 on the Specification of Recognised Price Reporting Agencies sets out the list of agencies whose published prices may be relied upon for those purposes.
In this Alert, our Tax Partner, Olivier Remacle, and our Tax Principal, Barbara Schwartz, summarise the key updates of the Decisions.