Saudi post-oil plan considers taxing expats

Saudi Arabia is considering taxing millions of foreign expat employees in the kingdom as it seeks to raise non-oil revenue and shore up its finances.

The proposal “will be discussed,” Saudi finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf said Tuesday night at a news conference discussing the country’s latest National Transformation Plan.

The NTP, which aims to reform the economy and lessen the kingdom’s dependence on oil revenues after the plunge in crude prices, is part of Saudi Arabia’s wider Vision 2030 plan.

The government has already cut utility and fuel subsidies. Under the NTP, it has also proposed reducing the public-sector wage bill to 40 percent of total spending, from the current 45 percent.

While the kingdom is discussing taxing expats working in the kingdom, reducing the number of foreigners in Saudi Arabia is not a strategic goal, said labor minister Mufrej Al Haqbani.

“We merely tend to limit some professions to Saudis while others still need expat expertise,” he said at a news conference.

“On the other hand, we are about to launch an initiative to create 1.3 million job opportunities for Saudis,” he added.