The newly imposed rule is a clear indication of creating more job opportunities for its own citizens and encouraging organisations to hire more people from the local population.
A big lure for the Indian diaspora working in the gulf countries was a tax-free income. But soon this honeymoon could be over. The Saudi Arabian government recently announced that it’s planning to introduce a monthly fee for expats residing in the country.
This monthly fee will be based on the number of family members, and the same would be increased every year till 2020. However, what comes as a hope is that blue-collar workers, such as drivers and cleaning staff, will be exempted from this to-be-implemented rule and fee.
This fee is applicable till 2020 for all foreign nationals working in the commercial sector.
In addition, the government has also increased the monthly fee paid by the employer for employing a foreign national, and it will vary from employee to employee, depending on the proportion of foreign workers they have in their team.
The newly imposed rule is a clear indication of creating more job opportunities for its own citizens and encouraging organisations to hire more people from the local population.
Though there is no official announcement on the fee, as per media reports it is estimated to be as high as 800 Riyals per month.
The Saudi Government has also stated that there will be no tax imposed on Saudi citizens.
