India Inc’s UAE sweet spot gets a tax squeeze

By Sohail Khan 4 September 2026, 5:30 am

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Business News›News›Economy›Foreign Trade›Indian Inc rushes to align with UAE’s 15% minimum tax as November deadline looms

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Indian Inc rushes to align with UAE’s 15% minimum tax as November deadline looms
Synopsis

Indian multinationals are assessing their UAE tax exposure before November's deadline. A new 15% minimum tax could affect their existing corporate tax structures. This global minimum tax rule applies to large groups with significant consolidated global revenue. Companies must register for the levy by November 30 this year. UAE authorities have issued guidance on compliance and scope for these firms.

Dubai: As the United Arab Emirates kicks off a new minimum-tax regime, several big Indian multinationals are assessing their exposure and the economics of their structures in the country with the November registration deadline fast approaching, experts said.

Also Read: India, UAE step up efforts to expand rupee-dirham trade

The 15% minimum tax could diminish the advantage of the UAE’s 9% corporate tax rate and 0% levy on qualifying free-zone income for some large multinational groups that fall within the scope of the regime, they said.

ET Bureau

Dubai new tax regime

The OECD's Pillar 2 or global minimum-tax rules, as implemented by the UAE in January 2025, apply to multinational groups with consolidated global revenue of at least `750 million ($871 million) in two of the four preceding years, and potentially require additional tax payments when their effective rate falls below 15%. The scope of the tax can cover even relatively small UAE subsidiaries, free-zone companies and branches of large Indian groups.

Tax experts said that some Indian multinational conglomerates had been assessing their exposure and data readiness since 2024.

Several other Indian companies falling within the remit are now assessing their potential tax coverage, reassessing freezone structures and exploring available exclusions as the deadline approaches.

“We are seeing a noticeable increase in queries from large Indian multinational companies following the recent scope and compliance related guidance issued by the UAE federal tax authority,” said international tax advocate Priyanshi Chokshi. “Among them is a large pharmaceutical group with a setup in the free zone, and a large multinational group that has entities across the UAE, India, the UK, Mauritius, and the US.”

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UAE minimum taxIndian multinationalsPillar 2 tax rulesNovember registration deadlineUAE corporate tax rateglobal minimum taxIndian multinational groupsDMTT regime

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