QU-QFC initiative to provide tax education to students

DOHA: An initiative to promote tax awareness amongst young Qatari students has been launched by Qatar University College of Business and Economics (QU-CBE) and Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority.   The two-year programme will highlight key areas of international tax principles and Qatari tax law as the region is considering implementing different forms of tax, said officials. 
QU-CBE and QFC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday with ‘Big Four’ audit firms Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to develop and deliver tax awareness training for QU students.
The training sessions will be provided at QU during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic years. It will cover basic and intermediate levels of tax and will be delivered in English and Arabic in each of the two academic semesters, making a total of 16 training sessions. It aims at attracting around 400 students. 
Dr Khalid Shams Al Abdulqader, Dean, QU-CBE, Hamed Al Saadi, chief financial and tax officer at QFC Authority, Rami Qudah, Partner, Deloitte Middle East, Paul Karamanoukian, Managing Partner, EY Qatar, Ahmed Abu Sharkh, Country Senior Partner, KPMG Qatar and Neil O’Brien, Head of Tax, PwC Qatar, were present during the MoU signing event held at the QU-CBE building. 
“The agreement will serve as a platform to exchange knowledge and best practices that will be of invaluable benefit to our students. It also shows QU’s commitment to shape the future generation of experts and professionals by offering them high-quality academic programmes and by equipping them with the skills, competencies and mindset needed for a successful career in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030,” said Al Abdulqader. 
“Strengthening and enlarging the talent pool available to the commercial and financial sector in Qatar through education is imperative for QFC, and it is with a great sense of joy and pride that I announce the signing of the MoU as the beginning of a closer and stronger relationship with QU and the Big Four audit firms,” said Al Saadi. 
Experts also highlighted that the new training initiative is essential as tax is an important subject regionally and internationally. 
“Tax is a hot topic of discussion among a wide range of stakeholders in the Middle East and internationally, particularly following the global financial crisis and the resulting pressures on exchequer returns faced by many countries around the world. It is therefore critical that our next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs have an appreciation and awareness about the importance of tax management and the necessity for tax compliance,” said Qudah.