UAE tax authority launches AI platform for tourists' VAT refunds

The UAE Federal Tax Authority has launched an artificial-intelligence-powered digital platform for tourists seeking VAT refunds, introducing an integrated service that the authority links to its broader efforts to expand AI use and improve operational efficiency.

The authority launched the platform in collaboration with Planet, the authorised operator of the VAT Refund Scheme for Tourists. The service uses digital, paperless procedures, according to the Federal Tax Authority’s account carried by GDN Online.

The launch is also reported by TradeArabia and Zawya, whose headlines describe the platform as AI-powered; Konsulteer’s headline says it operates across three airports. The authority presents the platform as part of its Digital Zero Bureaucracy Programme, as well as its strategy to increase AI adoption in its systems.

That gives the launch an administrative purpose beyond processing VAT claims: the authority says it is using the service to develop its operations and coordinate data-sharing with government entities and private-sector partners.

Al Mulla described the platform as an improvement to the tourist refund process and said it is intended to enhance the experience at visitors’ final point of contact with the country. Al Mulla also said the service reflects a government model that places customers at the centre of service design.

Those are the authority’s stated aims; the reports do not provide performance figures or independently measured outcomes. The Federal Tax Authority claims the platform offers the world’s fastest tax refund experience for tourists. That superlative is the authority’s characterization, not a comparative result supported by figures in the reporting.

The information reported also does not detail how long refunds take, how many tourists have used the platform, or how the service compares with other countries’ systems. For tourists, the practical change described is access to a digital, paperless route for VAT refunds, with the authority and Planet involved in the scheme.

Konsulteer’s headline specifies three airports, while the Federal Tax Authority’s account focuses on the platform’s AI integration, operational aims and relationship with the existing refund scheme.

The next measurable test is whether the Federal Tax Authority reports service results, such as processing times or tourist usage, and whether it publishes details of the platform’s airport coverage. The authority has framed the launch as a step in its digital-administration programme, but the reports provide no target or timetable for evaluating those results.