Delegates attending the annual Mena Tax Forum being held in Doha.

Tax issues in the Islamic finance and key global tax initiatives that affect the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) countries were the prime subjects at the sixth annual Mena Tax Forum, which got underway in Doha yesterday.
The forum, organised by the Ministry of Finance in collaboration with the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), is being held in Doha for the second time. It will conclude tomorrow.
“This session will provide us with the opportunity to examine tax challenges across the Mena region and consider efficiency-enhancing reforms and methods to increase revenue that, in addition to economic diversification, will reduce the region’s dependence on hydrocarbons and help meet the fiscal needs of the Mena countries’ governments,” Khalaf al-Mannai, under-secretary of the Ministry of Finance, said in his inaugural address.
The event, which is being attended by more than 60 senior level dignitaries and expert tax professionals from various countries across the Mena region, is a platform for knowledge-sharing and networking, and will help to facilitate interactive discussions aimed at finding solutions to common challenges faced in developing tax policies and implementing tax systems and administrations.
“This forum will allow experts from the private and public sector to come together and discuss taxation policies and international tax matters that impact Mena countries, and share best practices to continue to develop a tax environment that attracts foreign investment in the pursuit of the continuing growth of this region,” according to Hamed al-Saadi, chief financial and tax officer of the QFC.