MP peppers Finance with VAT queriesKUWAIT CITY, May 15: MP Askar Al-Anazi has presented a proposal to add one paragraph to Article 21 of Amiri Decree number 17/1959 on the residence of foreigners. Article one of the bill stipulates adding a paragraph to the above mentioned decree to read as follows: “A person who harbors a runaway expatriate household worker shall bear the expenses for the latter’s repatriation without prejudice to the rights of the sponsor.”In the explanatory note of the bill, the lawmaker pointed out that in 1959, Amiri Decree number 17/1959 was promulgated to regulate residency of foreigners; stipulating rules, terms and conditions concerning their stay in the country.He explained the rising number of household workers escaping from their sponsors to work for others contradicts the decree and it negatively affects sponsors who incur losses particularly since they bear the recruitment and residency costs.He revealed the bill aims to protect the rights of the sponsors of runaway household workers and for those harboring these workers to bear the repatriation costs without depriving the original sponsors of their rights.On the other hand, a source quoted Board Chairman of Al-Dura Domestic Workers Recruitment Company Eyad Al-Sumait as saying that the company will take care of all recruitment procedures and refer maids to sponsors at competitive prices. He added the headquarters of the company, which will open in September, will be located in Al-Awadhi Tower along Ahmad Al-Jaber Street, Kuwait City and branches will be opened in cooperative societies to ease procedures for those planning to hire household workers.He affirmed the company will work hard to reduce the price by half of the current price to be not more than KD 500 to KD 600, depending on the availability of workers and the countries sending domestic helpers to Kuwait. He said the company is obliged to ensure the safety of recruited domestic workers and that they are free from diseases before coming to Kuwait by requiring them to undergo tests in medical centers accredited by the Ministry of Health in their countries of origin.Meanwhile, MP Safa Al-Hashim has forwarded questions to Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh about the draft law on Value Added Tax (VAT) and selective taxation. She wants to know if there has been a request for consultancy services from a global or local advisory office to prepare the draft law and implementing regulations; in addition to the required studies, organizational structure, administrative processes, human resource development, public awareness campaigns, information dissemination and other related services.In case the answer is no, she requested for details of tender number 3/2017-2018 on tax administration development project and results of a study conducted in this regard if any. She also asked if VAT is included in the National Program for Financial and Economic Sustainability which is commonly known as economic reform document.Furthermore, participants in the closed door panel discussion organized by the Foreign Affairs Committee in the National Assembly on Monday agreed on the need to activate the role of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and form an electronic army to counter hostile attacks on Arab and Gulf countries.Committee Chairman MP Ali Al- Daqbasi told reporters at the end of the panel discussion held under the auspices of Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim that the 10 participants include present and former academicians, ambassadors and media practitioners. He said they looked into the challenges that Kuwait and the region are currently facing. He added the committee will submit its report about the panel discussion to the National Assembly soon, hoping this will lead to non-traditional strategies for dealing with challenges.By Abubakar A. Ibrahim Arab Times Staff