The big question remains in the minds of citizens: Why does the government of Bahrain continue to issue sukuk and borrow despite the high oil prices and the large amount of liquidity generated from the oil trade?

The government's amendments to the retirement system made last April linked the annual increase of retirees' pay to the financial surplus.

The government of Bahrain announced (November 1, 2021) an economic recovery plan after the failure of a similar plan it launched late 2018.

Merchants and shopkeepers in Bahrain said that citizens intensified their purchases before the end of this year, to acquire a number of goods or buy devices and cars, days before raising vat to 10%.

MP Hamad Al-Kouheji issued a statement justifying his approval of the VAT increase after sharp criticism of him and others who agreed on the VAT increase amid public discontent.

Former Secretary General of Wa'ad, Ibrahim Sharif, commented on the Parliament-government agreement that took place yesterday, as the Parliament passed the VAT bill that raised it to 10%, as well as sensitive fundamental amendments to the retirement law.

Moody's Agency predicts that Bahrain will be able to increase the Value Added Tax from 5% to 10% at the beginning of next January, to increase state revenues by about 1.8% of GDP.

Bahrainis have been worried since Saudi Arabia suspended the cost of living allowance and raised the value added tax from 5% to 15%, as they have not yet recovered from the impact of the 5% which already exhausted their low salaries.

Oman plans to introduce value-added tax in 2021, it said in a document, further delaying a fiscal consolidation measure that economists say could be politically sensitive at a time of sluggish growth and high unemployment.

Eskan Bank confirmed that the Value Added Tax (VAT) which is to start on July 1 will not be applied on the housing services or the monthly installments provided by the Housing Ministry, stressing that the bank would continue deducting a quarter of the recipient's salary without any extra fees.

In the poorest of the Gulf kingdoms, all added values (not just tax) are collected by the government to partially offset its accumulating deficit. It does not pay the citizens the value of what they endure, but rather gives them no value at all.

The Ministry of Finance and National Economy rejected a parliamentary project to compensate citizens of low-income wages by reducing the effects of the value added tax (VAT), while the finance committee of the House of Representatives approved the proposal.

Advocate-General Chancellor Hussain Al-Bouali said that the second minor criminal court fined on Wednesday (April 24, 2019) a suspect 1000 BD over the charge brought against him.

“Once you pop, you can’t stop”: This Pringles advertised slogan applies to what the Bahraini government is doing to its citizens. The pockets of Bahrainis have been popped and devoured in the name of taxes and duties and the authorities don’t seem willing to stop anytime soon, as the government plans on collecting one billion and 100 million in two years.

The Public Prosecution referred a sales manager in a shop to an urgent trial over charge of applying the Value Added Tax (VAT) to the goods of the shop and customers without registering his entity in the official VAT system and set Thursday as a day to commence his trial.

The High Administrative Court rejected a lawsuit filed by lawyer Mohammad Al-Thawadi, demanding abolishing decision to apply VAT on services of the Electricity and Water Authority.

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) said that over 2,000 companies have registered for the VAT.

Car imports fell sharply in January to their lowest level since 2013, a sign that car sales are being impacted by the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT).

The National Bureau for Revenue (NBR) announced that over 1,700 companies have registered for the Value Added Tax (VAT).

80 employees were appointed in the National Agency for Gulf Taxes to follow up issues related to applying the tax in various sectors, government sources said.