Riyadh – Asdaf News:
In line with the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, which focused on digital transformation and aligning with the knowledge economy, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) has added more customs and tax services over its smart phone application ZATCA to enhance and facilitate the taxpayers and customers’ experience provided through the application and its website. Digitalizing at ZATCA aims to streamline its services and save time and effort for its taxpayers and customers.
About two years after ZATCA application was launched in February 2022 and made available through (App Store) and (Google Play), ZATCA revealed that the application has registered more than 300,000 downloads since its launch, highlighting that it has added a number of customs and tax services that taxpayers can obtain automatically and quickly through the application, including the E-Invoicing Validation service, and the services of Verifying Selective Goods, Submitting Reports and Inquiry, Submitting Transactions, Customs Duty and Tax Calculator, Verifying Value Added Tax Registration, Submitting Customs Declaration, in addition to the Trader and Consumer Calculator service.
The addition of new services came in line with the Authority’s focus on developing its electronic services, to enhance the standard of services provided to taxpayers. ZATCA’s application supports the Authority’s website zatca.gov.sa, which provides many services for corporates and individuals. Among its most prominent services is the Contract Disclosure, which enable taxpayers to submit civil expenses contracts concluded with third parties, in order to facilitate and accelerate the implementation of all services provided. Submission of Zakat and Tax Declarations service allows submitting statements related to zakat for a limited financial period of time on a specific date through the portal for all registered taxpayers, corporates’ tax returns, and disclosure of all transactions related to taxable sales and purchases. Delegation service allows establishments to authorize accounting offices and service providers with which they deal with to complete their procedures and transactions automatically.
3 Principles of ZATCA Digital Service
ZATCA application is built on ZATCA’s three main principles of providing its digital services, which are: Easiness, Speed and Efficiency. The application uses digital tools that enable the design of user interface and various application pages in a clear and easy way for everyone, facilitating and enriching their interactive experience starting from registration to the various steps of service execution, while achieving high security and reliability, through important, simple, and smart features.
Adopting these strategic principles strengthens the ability of ZATCA application to ensure user satisfaction and achieve their aspirations in the era of digitization and speed. Digitalizing services is a significant step in the major digital transformation in the Kingdom, bringing together all services of ZATCA in one platform in accordance with the highest modern technical standards.
ZATCA application and website contain more than 100 basic and subsidiary services in all areas of the Authority’s activities, enabling taxpayers to carry out all their transactions, without the need to visit the Authority’s branches. For example, a taxpayer can inquire about payment operations, and the availability of the electronic payment feature, which is one of the most important advantages of the application, as it helps in the process of completing the implementation of services reliably and safely. Additionally, taxpayers can view their accounts, and authorize the approved accounting offices. There are many customs services, such as the customs tariff, and the customs declaration service.
A Detailed Guideline
ZATCA is keen to enhance the customer’s digital experience by launching the guideline of electronic services provided by the application and its website, guiding and directing taxpayers of the establishments and business owners to know the electronic services and functionality enabling the users to perform zakat, tax and customs transactions electronically, automatically, quickly and easily.
The guideline is built on a comprehensive and detailed explanation of the electronic services, its work procedures, and how to benefit from them in the easiest and most effective ways, with the aim of making it easier for taxpayers and customers. Furthermore, the guideline provides a comprehensive explanation its steps in text and pictures to access and implement each service, the number of steps, and the target groups of each service. It also provides requirements necessary to complete the service, clarifying the channel for completing the service and whether it is through the application or through the website, or both. The application also specifies a time frame required to complete any service, letting users to be fully aware of time and effort needed to complete the required service.
As part of the ZATCA’s keenness to identify and respond to customers and taxpayers’ feedback, it has provided 7 channels for communicating with it regarding digital services. These channels include the website, a call center, e-mail, an X account, ZATCA branches, Relations Managers, and the smart application.
ZATCA encourages taxpayers and customers to take advantage of the digital services provided by the application and website, in line with the key digital transformation driven by the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030.
