Latest news with #Zatca
Khaleej Times
08-08-2025
- Khaleej Times
Video: Saudi authorities arrest 3 for smuggling over 400,000 captagon pills in 'sheep wool'
A truck carrying what seemed to be several sheep was stopped at Haditha port in Saudi Arabia, when authorities noticed something amiss. After the vehicle passed through detectors, and through manual inspection, authorities at the Zakat, Tax and Customs authority managed to thwart a smuggling attempt. Hidden in fake "sheep wool" were 406,395 pills of the narcotic "Amphetamine" known as Captagon. Watch the video here: Authorities seized the narcotics and arrested three recipients of the items within the Kingdom. The arrests were carried out by Zatca, in coordination with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control (GDNC). Saudi Arabia authorities often carry out large-scale drug busts to prevent narcotics entering the country and circulating in society, particularly in youth circles. Just last month, the Kingdom arrested eight for attempting to smuggle 300,000 captagon pills hidden in parts of a vehicle, through Jeddah Islamic Port.
Khaleej Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Saudi Arabia announces extension of tax amnesty programme; conditions for fine exemption
Saudi Arabia announced an extension of a tax amnesty programme until December 31, 2025. The initiative, running from July 1, cancels fines and exempts establishments from financial penalties incurred as a result of overdue tax returns filing or violations. First implemented in 2020 by Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca), the scheme was introduced with the aim to help establishments cope with the financial implications of Covid. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Types of taxes included Value Added Tax (Vat) Withholding Tax Excise Tax Income Tax Real Estate Transaction Tax (Rett) Exemption from fines Subject to certain conditions, the following fines will be exempted under this programme: Fines from late registration in all tax laws and regulations Delayed payment fines, overdue tax return submission in all tax laws and regulations Vat return correction penalty Fines for violations of Vat field detection and e-invoicing, based on Article 45 of the Vat law What are the conditions for exemption? Non-registered persons must register in the tax system Submitting all required tax returns to Zatca. This includes those that have not been previously submitted, and correctly declaring all undeclared tax returns Paying the full tax debt principal. Applicants can also apply for an installment scheme, subject to certain conditions listed below. These exemptions are eligible on tax returns which should have been filed before July 1. They do not apply on penalties from tax returns that should be filed after June 30. Installment plan The request for paying dues through an installment plan can be submitted before the scheme ends. The request will be reviewed by Zatca to ensure the taxpayer is qualified for the installment plan. The payments shall then be scheduled under specific periods However, if the installments are not paid on time, the plan will be cancelled. If the approved plan is cancelled, the exempted fines and those relating to the principal unpaid tax will then be imposed, depending on the original payment due date. If the taxpayer is on an approved installment plan, all payable dues will be exempted from late payment fines, even after the end of the exemption initiative. What are the tax violations? The Vat violations include: Vat violations of e-invoicing provisions include:
Gulf News
20-04-2025
- Gulf News
Over 1,000 smuggling attempts foiled in a week, says Saudi Arabia
Cairo: Saudi customs authorities have announced foiling more than 1,000 smuggling attempts at different outlets of the country in one week. The contraband included narcotic and prohibited substances, and cash exceeding the permitted limits, the Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca) has said. It added that officers posted at different customs clearance points had busted a total of 1,071 smuggling bids that included 68 cases of narcotic substances. Other seizures included prohibited items and smuggled cash, the value of which was not given. Zatca said in a statement that the seizures are part of an all-out strategy to consolidate security control on border outlets in coordination with relevant authorities in the kingdom to confront all aspects of smuggling. Saudi Arabia has stepped up its crackdown on narcotics smugglers in what is dubbed the 'war on drugs', and has reported a string of aborted attempts over the past months. In February, Saudi anti-drug police said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle 11.1 million amphetamine drug tablets hidden in a food shipment. The General Directorate of Narcotics Control seized the haul at the King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia. The bust was conducted in coordination with Zatca, and followed by the apprehension of two recipients of the shipment. In January, Zatca said its personnel had foiled an attempt to smuggle 1.4 million Captagon drug pills hidden inside a shipment that had arrived at the Red Sea port of Jeddah.
Gulf Insider
07-04-2025
- Gulf Insider
Over 1,000 Smuggling Attempts Foiled In A Week, Says Saudi Arabia
Saudi customs authorities have announced foiling more than 1,000 smuggling attempts at different outlets of the country in one week. The contraband included narcotic and prohibited substances, and cash exceeding the permitted limits, the Saudi Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (Zatca) has said. It added that officers posted at different customs clearance points had busted a total of 1,071 smuggling bids that included 68 cases of narcotic substances. Other seizures included prohibited items and smuggled cash, the value of which was not given. Zatca said in a statement that the seizures are part of an all-out strategy to consolidate security control on border outlets in coordination with relevant authorities in the kingdom to confront all aspects of smuggling. Saudi Arabia has stepped up its crackdown on narcotics smugglers in what is dubbed the 'war on drugs', and has reported a string of aborted attempts over the past months. In February, Saudi anti-drug police said they had thwarted an attempt to smuggle 11.1 million amphetamine drug tablets hidden in a food shipment. The General Directorate of Narcotics Control seized the haul at the King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam in eastern Saudi Arabia. The bust was conducted in coordination with Zatca, and followed by the apprehension of two recipients of the shipment. In January, Zatca said its personnel had foiled an attempt to smuggle 1.4 million Captagon drug pills hidden inside a shipment that had arrived at the Red Sea port of Jeddah. When the shipment, a machine used to spin laundry, was subjected to customs procedures, the haul was found inside.
