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Dr Soha al-Bayat, head of Vaccination at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) confirmed that those who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine outside Qatar can be given the booster dose of one of the two vaccines (in Qatar), Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna.

She also indicated that privileges and relaxations granted to vaccinated people may change for those who do not take the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose and their immunity wanes after 12 months from the second dose.

The MoPH had recently announced that all individuals who received their second Covid-19 vaccine dose at least six months ago are now eligible for a booster dose. As per Dr al-Bayat “The latest studies have proven that after six months of the second dose, immunity decreases. This is why we took the decision to give the booster dose after sixth months have passed since the second dose, and change it from eight months, based on the recent information we received.

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General Tax Authority (GTA) in Qatar has announced the launch of 11 new online services via Dhareeba Tax Portal offering taxpayers an easier and faster way of using these services. The latest services by the General Tax Authority, simplify tax procedures, and meet the future requirements of the State that include achieving the complete link between all companies directly related to tax operations to achieve the strategy and vision of Qatar 2030.

According to GTA website, the new online services are as follows:

1. Objections against decisions issued by the General Tax Authority;
2. Appeal - a service that enables taxpayers to file grievances against the decisions issued by the General Tax Authority before the two Tax Grievance Committees;
3. Income Tax (downloading and uploading the file in Microsoft Excel format);
4. Suggestions and Complaints, including filing reports on suspicions of tax evasion;
5. Financial Transaction History - a service to view a detailed statement of all the financial tax transactions regarding all the various due amounts, paid amounts, and refunds;
6. Excisable Goods Export/Re-Export - a possibility to submit a notice to the Authority regarding the intention to export or re-export selective goods to be able to submit a refund application through Dhareeba Tax Portal later;
7. Damaged Selective Goods Refund Notice Service;
8. Damaged/Lost Excisable Goods Refund - a service by which the Designee may submit an application to refund the selective tax paid for the damaged or lost selective goods for which the damaged or lost goods notification is served through Dhareeba Tax Portal;
9. Export – Re-Export Refund – a service by which taxpayer may submit an application to refund the selective tax paid for the selective goods in export and re-export of selective goods to submit the export and re-export notification through Dhareeba Tax Portal;
10. Intermediary Excise Goods Refund - enables the Designee registered at the selective tax to submit a notification for a refund of selective tax paid for selective goods used in the production of other taxable selective goods;
11. Special ET Refund – Diplomat - a service by which diplomatic and consular authorities, international organizations, and heads and members of diplomatic and consular authorities certified at the State may submit an application for refund of selective tax paid for selective goods through Dhareeba Tax Portal.

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Qatar is a welcoming accessible destination that is rooted in its culture. The country’s growing tourism sector offers huge opportunities not only for travellers but also for investors, said experts during Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2021.

Brett Stephenson, Qatar Senior Global Marketing Executive of Qatar Tourism said “Qatar is a country which is waiting to be discovered and we have got all the ingredients to deliver to people and bring them to Qatar. We have beautiful landscapes, beach resorts, amazing culture with outstanding museums and some amazing and inspiring public spaces as well, including world’s best airline and airport,” he added.

Speaking during one of the sessions on the third day of QTM about Qatar Tourism’s mobile app and digital experience he said, by downloading the app you can browse itineraries and see different areas in 360 degrees, experience the destination and know what you need to do.

Qatar is safest country in the world with a rich culture, he said. “As Qatar Tourism we are very focused and clear. Qatar is a welcoming accessible destination as it is rooted in its culture and has richness of things to do,” he added. “We recently launched our first ever truly global campaign, and we are showing people that Qatar is a world within itself. We are expecting by the end of the campaign to have 2 billion global views. It is transforming awareness about Qatar and the characters represent visitors and their passion points as they live their adventure in Qatar,” he said.

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Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani met yesterday in Doha with President of the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, H E Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, and the accompanying Turkish delegation currently visiting Qatar.

During the meeting, officials reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and discussed aspects of joint cooperation, especially in the trade, industrial, and investment fields, as well as ways to enhance and develop trade relations.

Trade and investment ties between Qatar and Turkey have witnessed significant growth. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries amounted to about $1bn from January to August 2021. The number of Turkish companies operating in Qatar is now up to 675 - 38 companies wholly owned and 636 companies established in partnership between Qatari and Turkish investors, in addition to one Turkish company is licensed under the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC).

During the meeting, H E the Minister of Commerce and Industry highlighted the economic policies Qatar had put in place to support the private sector and attract foreign investments, especially the incentives, legislation, and investment opportunities made available in Qatar.

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The mandatory health insurance system targets all expatriates, including domestic workers, labourers and employees. Under the system, companies will provide insurance policy to their expatriate workforce and individuals for their family members.

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Minister of Commerce & Industry and Acting Minister of Finance, H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, and Minister of Finance of Ukraine, H E Sergii Marchenko, co-chaired the second session of the Qatari-Ukrainian Joint Committee for Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation, which took place in Kiev, Ukraine from August 31 until September 2.

The Joint Committee’s second session was attended by representatives from several government agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Municipality & Environment, Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Education & Higher Education, Ministry of Culture & Sports, Qatar Chamber, Qatar Airways, Qatar Development Bank, Free Zones Authority, General Tax Authority, Qatar General Organization for Standardization, the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar (IPA Qatar), Qatar Investment Authority, Hassad Food, Widam Food, Baladna and Nebras Power.

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Tech entrepreneurship is a very challenging field, and requires persistence and determination to win over investors as well as customers and end-users, according to Yousef Al Salehi, Executive Director of Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP), part of Qatar Foundation Research, Development & Innovation (QF RDI).

Al Salehi was speaking at the fourth edition of Najah Qatari, an annual event focused on championing Qatar’s local entrepreneurial talent, and celebrating the stories of those individuals and businesses at the forefront of the country’s business landscape. Held at Qatar National Convention Center, panelists included key players in the market such as President of Kahramaa, Eng. Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari and President of Ashghal Works Authority, Dr. Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, among other high-ranking officials.

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Qatar’s foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR19.6bn in July 2021, reflecting an increase of about QR13.3bn or 213.4 percent compared to July 2020. When compared month-on-month, the surplus increased by nearly QR2.6bn or 15.5 percent compared to June 2021, according to preliminary figures released yesterday by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA)

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Qatar's budget surplus in the second quarter of the year stood at 3.8 billion riyals ($1.04 billion), the finance ministry said on Thursday.

The world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) generated 50.1 billion riyals in revenues in April-June, driven by higher-than-budgeted oil prices, and the collection of corporate income tax in April 2021, the ministry said in a statement.

Spending stood at 46.2 billion riyals over the three months to June 30, it said.

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