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The Federal Tax Authority said in a statement that it conducted 103,680 field inspection visits across local markets in the first six months of 2026. That total represented a 21 percent increase from approximately 86,000 visits during the same period in 2025. The authority carried out the inspections in cooperation with relevant entities in all emirates as part of broader efforts to strengthen tax compliance and consumer protection while addressing evasion.
According to the FTA announcement, inspection teams seized 8.45 million non-compliant excise products during the period. This compared with 17.6 million such products confiscated in the first half of 2025. The seized items included 6.58 million packages of tobacco and tobacco products, down from 15.8 million a year earlier, alongside 1.87 million packages of other excise goods such as carbonated drinks, energy drinks and sweetened beverages.
The FTA reported issuing 3,343 registration notices to businesses not registered for value added tax in the first half of this year. That marked an increase from 2,845 notices issued in the corresponding period last year. These notices form part of the authority’s drive to bring more entities into the tax system.
The total value of tax dues and administrative penalties associated with the non-compliant goods seized during the visits exceeded 174 million dirhams, according to the authority. Sarah AlHabshi, executive director of the tax compliance sector at the FTA, said the indicators confirm that the authority’s inspection campaigns have delivered strong regulatory outcomes. She noted that the inspections seek to ensure adherence to rules on tax invoices, price display and due payments while identifying evasion cases.
Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Mulla, director-general of the FTA, stated that the authority remains fully committed to protecting consumers and combating commercial fraud along with the trade of low-quality and counterfeit products. “The authority is also fully committed to protecting consumers, combating commercial fraud, and preventing the trade of low-quality and counterfeit products that negatively affect quality of life.” He pointed to close cooperation with strategic partners as a key factor in enhancing the efficiency of regulatory operations across the UAE.
The FTA’s 2025 annual report, released in June 2026, showed the authority conducted 176,000 market inspection visits for the full year, an 89 percent rise from the prior year with associated seizures of 29.5 million tobacco packs and 7.6 million other excise packages. That followed a pattern of intensifying enforcement, building on earlier gains such as a 104 percent increase in inspection visits reported for the first half of 2022. The authority collected 46 billion dirhams in VAT and excise tax revenues during 2025, the report indicated.
