Yasmeen Bader

Tax disputes

• Advised clients on tax disputes before the UAE and KSA tax authorities, including drafting objections, reconsideration requests, and appeals at each stage of the dispute process.
• Advised a leading Saudi investment company on its KSA VAT assessments and drafted its objection, resulting in a reduction of the assessed liability from USD 5 million to USD 191,000.
• Supported one of the largest banks in KSA with a VAT assessment objection, reducing the assessed liability from USD 17 million to USD 9 million.

VAT advisory, compliance, and implementation

• Advised clients in the real estate, financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, e-commerce, and oil and gas sectors on the VAT treatment of transactions, including preparing tax clarification requests where the treatment was uncertain.
• Worked on VAT implementation projects across the GCC, including revenue and expense mapping, impact assessment reports, and pre-go-live workshops in Arabic and English.
• Advised resident and non-resident companies on VAT registration, deregistration, compliance obligations, and refund applications across the GCC.
• Reviewed an investment company’s VAT position to enhance input tax recovery, identify VAT risks, and identify approximately USD 2.2 million in taxable supplies as part of a broader VAT optimization exercise.
• Assessed the impact of VAT rate increases in KSA and Bahrain on client transactions.

Transaction taxes, excise, and customs

• Advised on the application of Real Estate Transaction Tax in KSA.
• Supported an excise tax health check for a UAE distribution entity, including validating HS codes against the Dubai Customs and Federal Tax Authority portals to identify potential compliance risks.
• Advised on the customs and indirect tax implications of imports, exports, and transactions involving designated zones in the UAE.