Is VAT charged on gold and diamonds?
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Usually not by the seller. When a VAT-registered business buys gold, diamonds or other precious metals and stones from a registered supplier to resell or manufacture, the supplier charges no VAT and the buyer accounts for it instead (reverse charge). Investment-grade gold, silver and platinum are taxed at 0% anyway.
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The detail
Supplies of precious metals and precious stones between VAT-registered persons in the UAE fall under a domestic reverse charge: the supplier does not charge VAT and the registered recipient self-accounts for it, provided the recipient intends to resell or to produce/manufacture the goods. Investment-grade gold, silver and platinum of 99%+ purity in tradeable bullion form are zero-rated. Supplies to non-registered recipients, or where the resale/manufacturing condition fails, remain standard-rated.123
What the law says
- Cabinet Decision No. 127 of 2024 applies a reverse charge on supplies of precious metals (gold, silver, palladium, platinum) and precious stones (diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, including jewellery where these dominate the value) between registrants in the State. [1,3]42
- The supply or import of investment precious metals — gold, silver or platinum of 99%+ purity in a form tradeable in global bullion markets — is zero-rated. [2]1
- FTA guidance confirms the supplier does not charge VAT and the registered recipient accounts for it, and that the recipient must intend to resell (wholesale or retail) or use the goods in partial or full production/manufacturing. [5]3 Based on FTA guidance
What it depends on
- The recipient must be registered for VAT in the UAE. [5]3 Based on FTA guidance
- The recipient must intend to resell the goods or use them to produce or manufacture precious goods. [5]3 Based on FTA guidance
- Cabinet Decision No. 127 of 2024 is effective from 26 February 2025 (the earlier Cabinet Decision No. 25 of 2018 regime, including its temporary making-services extension, applied before then). [1,4]45
Check before you rely on it
- Confirm your VAT registration is active when buying
- Confirm you intend to resell or manufacture the goods
- Check whether the gold is investment-grade (99%+ purity, bullion form)
Sources (5) — read the official text
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Article 36 – Zero-rating of precious metals
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Article 36 – Zero-rating of precious metals 1. The supply or import of investment precious metals shall be zero-rated. 2. The phrase “investment precious metals” means gold, silver and platinum that meet the following standards: a. The metal is of a purity of 99 percent or more. b. The metal is in a form tradeable in global bullion markets.
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Article 1 – Definitions
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Article 1 – Definitions The definitions contained in Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 referred to above shall apply to this Decision, as an exception to that, the following words and expressions shall have the meaning assigned against each, unless the context requires otherwise: Cabinet Decision No.127 of 2024 – As published by the Ministry of Finance 1 Goods : Precious Metals, Precious Stones and jewelry made of any Precious Metals or Precious Stones, or a combination thereof, provided that the value of the Precious Metals or Precious Stones exceeds the value of other components. Precious Metals : Gold, silver, palladium and platinum. Precious Stones : Natural and manufactured (synthetic) diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires and emeralds.
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components. For the purposes of the domestic reverse charge تُعرّ ف المعادن،وألغراض آلية االحتساب العكسي المحلي :الثمينة واألحجار الكريمة كما يأتي mechanism, precious metals and precious stones are defined as the following: • Precious metals: Gold, silver, palladium and . الذهب والفضة والبالديوم والبالتين:• المعادن الثمينة platinum. • Precious stones: Diamonds (natural and (الطبيعي manufactured/synthetic), pearls, rubies, والزفير األلماس والياقوت :الكريمة واللؤلؤ • األحجار )االصطناعي/والمُ صنّع .والزمرد sapphires and emeralds. شروط تطبيق آلية االحتساب العكسي المحلي Conditions for the domestic reverse charge All of the following conditions must be met to يجب استيفاء جميع الشروط التالية لتطبيق آلية االحتساب apply the domestic reverse charge on the supply 2 :العكسي المحلي على توريد السلع of the Goods:2 • The Recipient must be registered for VAT in يجب أن يكون المستلم مُ سجالً لضريبة القيمة المضافة .في الدولة the UAE. • • The Recipient must intend to resell the يجب أن يقصد المستلم إعادة بيعها أو استعمالها إلنتاج Precious Goods or use them to produce or .أو تصنيع السلع الثمينة manufacture Precious Goods. The term "resell" refers to an activity that يشير مصطلح "إعادة البيع" إلى نشاط يُشكّل جزءا ً من forms part of the business of the Recipient. ويمكن أن تتمّ إعادة البيع هذه إما على.أعمال المستلم This resale can occur at either the wholesale .مستوى البيع بالجملة أو بالتجزئة or retail level. The phrase "producing or manufacturing" تشمل عبارة "اإلنتاج أو التصنيع" عمليات اإلنتاج أو includes both partial and full production or إذا كان، على سبيل المثال.التصنيع الجزئي أو الكامل manufacturing processes. For instance, if a المستلم يحصل على مكونات شبه ُمصنّعة لمجوهرات Recipient acquires semi-finished jewellery فيُعتبر،لدمجها في منتج نهائي لمجوهرات سيتمّ بيعه 4/14 •
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This is not an official Translation: The Application of the Reverse Charge Mechanism on Precious Metals and Precious Stones among Registrants in the State for the Purposes of Value Added Tax Cabinet Decision No. 127 of 2024 – Issued 16 December 2024 – (Effective from 26 February 2025) The Cabinet has decided: - Having reviewed the Constitution, - Federal Decree-Law No. 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax, and its amendments, - Cabinet Decision No. 52 of 2017 on the Executive Regulation of Federal DecreeLaw No 8 of 2017 on Value Added Tax, and its amendments, - Cabinet Decision No. 25 of 2018 on the Mechanism of Applying Value Added Tax on Gold and Diamonds Between Registrants in the State, and - Pursuant to what was presented by the Minister of Finance and approved by the Cabinet.
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Applying Value Added Tax on Gold and Diamonds .)")25( الدولة ("قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم between Registrants in the State (“Cabinet Decision No. 25”). مصطلحات مستخدمة في هذا التوضيح العام Terms Used in this Public Clarification For the purposes of this Public Clarification, the يشار إلى المصطلحات التالية،ألغراض هذا التوضيح العام terms below shall have the meaning assigned :المعاني الواردة قرين كل منها against each: • “Gold”: gold and/or diamonds. • “Making .أو األلماس/ الذهب و:""الذهب • . خدمة تصنيع منتجات الذهب:""خدمة المصنعية • “Making Charge”: the price charged by السعر الذي يفرضه الصاغة مقابل:""سعر المصنعية • Service”: the service of making/manufacturing Gold Items. • jewellers in return for making/manufacturing .تصنيع منتجات الذهب Gold Items. ملخص Summary Tax registrants supplying Gold are not required to ال يلزم المسجلون للضريبة الذين يوردون الذهب بفرض impose VAT on the supply of Gold and products ضريبة القيمة المضافة على توريد الذهب والمنتجات التي which mostly consist of Gold, if the conditions of في حال ت ّم استيفاء الشروط،تحتوي في معظمها على الذهب Cabinet Decision No. 25 are met. In such instances, وفي مثل هذه.)25( الواردة في قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم VAT in respect of the Gold is accounted for under a تحتسب ضريبة القيمة المضافة فيما يتعلق بالذهب،الحالة special reverse charge mechanism which requires بموجب آلية احتساب عكسي خاصة تقتضي قيام المتلقي the registered recipient to account for VAT on the ًالمسجل باحتساب ضريبة القيمة المضافة عن التوريد بدال supply instead of the supplier. .من المورّ د Based on a new decision by the Cabinet, the فإنه تم،بناءً على قرار جديد صادر عن مجلس الوزراء definition of goods in Cabinet Decision No. 25 has تعديل تعريف السلع الوارد في قرار مجلس الوزراء رقم been amended to state that it may include Making ) لينص على أنه قد يشمل خدمات المصنعية المرتبطة25( Services directly in connection with the Gold, for 2018 يونيو1 ارتباطا ً مباشرا ً بالذهب للفترة المحددة من the limited period between 1 June 2018 and 31 2/12 .2022 ديسمبر31 وحتى
Written by AI from the FTA sources above and checked before display. Not tax advice or official FTA information - confirm with a tax adviser before you act. Full disclaimer
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