This has been one of Afghanistan's bloodiest election campaigns. At least 10 candidates have been killed in the last few months by those seeking to dismantle democracy with the barrel of a gun. Yet throughout it all, onlookers remained cautiously optimistic – until Thursday. Less than 48 hours before millions of Afghans head to the polls, the powerful police chief of Kandahar, General Abdul Raziq was shot and killed in broad daylight. The province's governor, Zalmai Wesa, was wounded in the attack.
There is already a great deal at stake on Saturday. For the ineffectual government of Ashraf Ghani – and its Nato backers – the polls are an opportunity to exhibit some semblance of control. The Taliban, which holds or contests at least two-fifths of the country, is seeking to accentuate the frailty of Mr Ghani’s administration. And for ISIS, this is a chance to remind the world of its gory relevance.
With the threat of election-day violence growing constantly, turnout could suffer as the desire to vote falls behind the more imminent need to survive.
These elections were initially scheduled for October 2016, but security concerns delayed them. However, clearly the situation today is no more conducive to holding fair and safe elections.
In April, ISIS bombed a voter registration centre in Kabul, the seat of the government, killing 57 people trying only to exercise their democratic rights and responsibilities. Meanwhile, the Taliban exerts firm control over large parts of rural Afghanistan and has intensified its campaign of violence this year, killing hundreds of police and military personnel.
The obstacles to Saturday’s election are encapsulated by the turmoil in Ghazni, a province less than 100 kilometres from the capital, parts of which were violently seized by Taliban fighters in August. Voting has been postponed in the province and those living there – who deserve peace and prosperity – left disenfranchised.
Four years after the scholarly Mr Ghani took office, Afghans are dissatisfied with his counter-insurgency efforts. And justifiably so. Elections are not delivering the basic security that Afghanistan desperately needs, while a string of deeper problems, including poverty, high unemployment and paralysing corruption, make for a bleak picture. Afghanistan, we must remember, is yet to recover from the 2001 Nato-led invasion, even as western powers search for a way out.
There are reasons to remain hopeful, thanks to the injection of youth into the process. Some 60 per cent of candidates in Saturday's elections are under 40, many are well educated, idealistic and their worldviews are not entirely rooted in the country's 1990s civil war. But their arrival on the scene has sparked a violent response from established warlords.
It serves as a reminder – despite the optimism that youth engenders – that change will not come until control is snatched back from the Taliban and ISIS is defeated. Because amid bloodshed, democracy cannot thrive.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
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Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
