Bahrain was the third GCC country to implement VAT on 1 January 2019 followed by Oman on 16 April 2021 with Kuwait and Qatar yet to implement VAT.
Despite VAT being new to the country, we are witnessing a significant rise in VAT disputes, controversies and reassessments by the National Bureau for Revenue (NBR). In some cases, these have resulted in litigation between the taxpayer and the NBR. With the VAT rate in Bahrain having doubled since 1 January 2022 with a one-year transitional period, we are likely to see more disputes as the amounts at stake will be higher.
Source Ekansh Argawal
