DUBAI: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police General Headquarters announced changes to the timings for truck movement on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. The adjustment of timing applies to a section of the road extending from Ras Al Khor Road to Sharjah in both directions during peak traffic hours as of 28th April 2024. The new schedule restricts truck movement in the morning from 06:30 to 08:30 am, and in two periods in the afternoon: the first from 01:00 to 03:00 pm, and a second evening period from 05:30 to 08:00 pm.
Hussein Al Banna, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, RTA, said, ‘The decision to alter truck traffic timings on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road during peak hours was made in coordination with Dubai Police General HQ, following recent in-depth studies indicating the critical need for such adjustments. This measure is set to enhance the smoothness of traffic flow on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, ensuring a more even distribution of truck movements across alternative routes
during peak times. This strategic redistribution is anticipated to decrease traffic congestion on the road by up to 15% during these periods.’
‘The process of adjusting truck movement involves several engineering and technical studies that consider factors like vehicle density, incident rates, urban development alongside the road, and the capacity of alternate routes to handle the traffic. RTA, in cooperation with Dubai Police and other relevant bodies, will undertake extensive efforts to communicate the new truck movement schedules to heavy vehicle drivers, truck owners, and operators. This will include installing informative signs at both the beginning and end of the restricted zones and disseminating the information through press releases, advertising, social media channels, and multilingual announcements on local radio stations,’ explained Al Banna.
He urged truck drivers, as well as transport and shipping companies to comply with the new regulations and either use alternative routes such as Emirates Ro
ad during restricted times or the designated truck rest areas spread throughout Dubai’s streets.
Development of Truck Rest Areas
Since mid-2023, RTA embarked on a plan to develop truck rest areas, in collaboration with the private sector. This plan involves the construction and enhancement of 19 rest stops situated along key roads across Dubai, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, Emirates Road, Dubai-Hatta Road, and Dubai-Ain Road. Collectively, these rest areas cover more than 300,000 square metres and can accommodate around 1,000 trucks and heavy vehicles.
The first phase of this development, featuring 15 rest areas, is scheduled to become operational in August 2024. Work to develop the remaining areas is scheduled to continue through the end of 2025.
Major General Saif Muhair Al Mazrouei, Director General of the Traffic Department at Dubai Police, highlighted the importance of the newly introduced traffic measures on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, which were introduced in close collaboration wit
h the Roads and Transport Authority, and based on the applicable engineering and technical standards.
‘The General Traffic Department has developed a strategy to oversee and regulate truck movements during peak periods on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. This includes coordinating with concerned entities to inform and educate heavy vehicle drivers about the revised restrictions, ensuring the new regulations are enforced effectively and lawfully,’ commented Al Mazrouei.
He also called on heavy vehicle drivers, transport companies and truck owners to support the initiatives implemented on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road by adhering to the revised traffic restrictions. ‘Compliance of all parties is crucial to avoid potential penalties and fines levied against those who do not follow the new regulations,’ he added.
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EmaraTax smart tax services app enhances quality of Authority’s services: FTA
ABU DHABI: The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) asserted that providing the EmaraTax app for smart tax services to users w
as a landmark step towards enhancing the quality of the Authority’s services.
The FTA noted that the app, launched in October 2023 at the 43rd GITEX GLOBAL, builds on the FTA’s efforts under its comprehensive strategy to drive digital transformation across all of its services, facilitate voluntary tax compliance, and provide proactive services to taxpayers.
In a press statement issued today, the Authority explained that the EmaraTax app can be downloaded to smartphones through the Apple App Store and Google Play. The FTA noted that users have carried out over 4,570 operations through the app, which provides a wide range of digital services to taxpayers to enable users to manage their tax operations with precision, speed, efficiency, and transparency.
The Authority asserted that the EmaraTax app is continuously updated to keep pace with the FTA’s plans for the continuous development and expansion of its services. It noted that customers can conduct Value Added Tax (VAT) and Excise Tax procedures through the
app. It offers innovative solutions allowing them to easily access the Authority’s services from anywhere and at any time, including registration, submission of tax returns, payment of taxes by registered taxpayers, submitting tax refund requests for eligible categories, and submission of reconsideration requests, among other tax procedures.
Furthermore, the FTA revealed that it had added 15 services related to Corporate Tax to the EmaraTax app, as part of the range of facilities the Authority provides to ensure the seamless implementation of Corporate Tax and facilitate compliance for taxpayers subject to it using quick and simple procedures. The Corporate Tax services now accessible on the app include registration for Corporate Tax and amendment of registration data, deregistration, account management, and amendment of banking data.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, FTA Director-General, said, ‘The FTA has provided the smart app, offering taxpayers 35 digital tax services, in line with the Zero Government Bureaucrac
y Programme launched by the UAE Government to enhance efficiency, quality, and agility; streamline procedures; and discontinue unnecessary processes and conditions.’
‘The Authority is intensifying its efforts to provide seamless digital services through innovative models that reflect the government system’s leadership and excellence, as well as to enhance value by saving time, cost, and effort, all the while ensuring immediate processing and increasing flexible data connectivity,’ he added.
‘The FTA has set ambitious development plans, in line with the Government Services Quality Charter, implementing effective transformation measures to minimise the number of required documents for service provision as much as possible,’ Al Bustani explained.
‘The Authority continuously strives to achieve tangible impact within short timeframes to improve taxpayers’ experiences. The smart app streamlines procedures and integrate with other systems and departments; it was designed according to the latest standards to enabl
e taxpayers to benefit from tax digitisation and expedite procedures.’
Abdulla Al Bastaki, Executive Director of the Information Technology Sector at the FTA, said, ‘This direction we are taking is a continuation of the Federal Tax Authority’s ongoing development plans. Less than two years ago, the Authority activated the EmaraTax digital tax services platform using the latest technologies used in the tax field worldwide. The smart app forms part of the Authority’s continuous plans to update its services and in preparation for a more advanced future. The main and ultimate goal we aim to achieve is to establish the FTA as a world-leading tax authority.’
‘The Authority has been collaborating with its partners in all relevant sectors to develop the app, in an effort to spearhead a significant leap forward in terms of enhancing the tax system and achieving the FTA’s strategic goal to lead a digital transformation across all of its services, allowing for the app’s upgraded services to integrate with the modern s
ervices provided by other relevant government entities,’ Al Bastaki continued.
‘As part of this collaboration, the app relies on the unified access digital identity solution UAE PASS for all procedures and services provided by the FTA through the app.’
‘As part of its approach to engaging stakeholders in the ongoing development processes for tax systems, the FTA consulted with taxpayers and stakeholders across the UAE tax system, taking their opinions into account while developing the app, after taking note of their experiences using the EmaraTax platform,’ Al Bastaki noted, asserting that the FTA always welcomes feedback and opinions from taxpayers.
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Source: Emirates News Agency
