Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) Mohammed Al-Jadaan, today in Riyadh, patronized the Zakat, Tax and Customs Conference, which is held under the theme: "An Integrated Digital Ecosystem for Sustainable Economy and Improved Security," Several ministers participated along with secretaries general of regional and international authorities, and experts and specialists in the Zakat, tax and customs sector. The participants will be discussing, between February 8th and 9th, the top local and international experiences and developments in the sector, digital transformation in the system, and the scope of influence of modern technologies on the efficiency and effectiveness of operations and their role in creating a prosperous digital economy. In his opening statement, the minister stressed that the conference comes as an effort by ZATCA to transfer experiences, expertise and the application of best practices, take advantage of the development opportunities available in the zakat, tax and customs sector, and examine their developments related to social and economic development. Al-Jadaan said: "The conference comes in light of the challenges facing global economic development, which calls for enhanced efforts through increasing coordination between sectors and international and regional organizations in all economic, social and security areas." He referred to the ongoing development of tax administration and collection processes through national efforts and initiatives, such as the National Program for Combating Commercial Concealment, which had limited the volume of undercover economic transactions, enhanced fair competition and consumer protection, as well as developed tax commitments through supporting them with technological solutions and automation. For his part, ZATCA Governor Eng. Suhail bin Mohammed Abanmi said that holding the conference is an affirmation of the authority's vision of being a global model in protecting the homeland, administrating zakat, tax and customs, and effectively facilitating cross-border trade, with a focus on raising the customer's level of services, through applying the best practices, instilling values and translating them into initiatives and solutions that contribute to strengthening the capacities of the zakat, tax and customs entities. Abanmi said: "During the past phase, the authority has focused on adopting the best practices in implementing its initiatives in line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, foremost among which is the implementation of the "e-billing" project, which is an extension of the economic renaissance and digital transformation in the Kingdom." This project was a remarkable success in its first and second phases. This success is highlighted by the substantial commitment of enterprises with the beginning of the implementation of the first phase known as "the issuance and conservation" phase, whose percentage exceeded 93%." He added that with the introduction of the second phase of e-billing early this year, known as the "linkage and integration" process, with more than 400 facilities connected, representing Group A, included more than 40 million bills that facilitie shared electronically. The governor reviewed the efforts exerted by the authority at the level of security, in terms of utilizing modern technologies to tighten customs control across all land, sea and air customs crossings, therefore, strengthening the capacity of the customs system via building the risk engine in accordance with best international practices. The conference will see 15 panel sessions and working papers, and over 30 specialized qualitative workshops, where the accompanying exhibition will include more than 50 exhibitors from the public and private sectors, representing the zakat, tax and customs sector, which target taxpayers, importers, exporters and those interested in the sector from around the world. The sessions of the conferences will include discussions on several qualitative topics related to developing the zakat, tax, and customs sector, discussing contemporary visions and models in zakat and taxation, the organization and management of all activities related to customs work, customs outlets and their management to build a common leadership model and the system's digital transformation. The Zakat, Tax and Customs Conference is a pivotal opportunity for a large number of officials and decision-makers in local and international entities, institutions, organizations, corporate officials, experts, consultants, academics, and media professionals, to go over challenges, opportunities, and solutions, and to come up with recommendations that contribute to achieving its objectives, and lay the foundation for an integrated digital system to sustain the economy and enhance security.
