Technology is on top of the agenda for tax practitioners in the Middle East

October 29, 2018 – Deloitte continues to invest in its Tax Technology service line in the Middle East with the appointment of a new Partner and Director.

In an increasingly demanding global environment and with the introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), managing tax responsibilities and planning for tax issues is becoming more complex. Over the past years Deloitte Middle East has been investing in developing the multifaceted skill sets required to be a key partner when it comes to defining tax and VAT strategy, helping businesses select and implement the right supportive technology and providing rollout support aligned with legal and regulatory requirements.

In line with this strategy, Deloitte has admitted Jason Riche to its tax service line as partner and leader of its tax technology services. Jason has transferred to the Middle East firm from Deloitte Canada, where he was the Tax Innovation Leader and is now based in Dubai. As noted, Jason has practiced in VAT and has been with the Canadian firm for 20 years where he has been a partner for the past 7 years. 

Commenting on the appointment, Nauman Ahmed, the Middle East Tax Leader said: “I am pleased to welcome Jason to the Middle East tax practice. Deloitte is a global leader in tax technology and we are making a bold play on technology in the Middle East region and we are pleased to have Jason leading this for us”.

Haryati Hamzah, who moved a year ago to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to assist with the implementation of VAT in the GCC from a technology perspective, has been admitted as Director in the Deloitte Middle East Firm. Haryati has 17 years of experience with a broad and international track record in tax and business consulting especially for delivering large, complex and multi-disciplinary ERP projects supported by clients’ feedbacks.

Ahmed also commented, “Building a high performing tax function is critical to tax transformation success. Effective use of technology, including data management, and analytics, is a key piece. Deloitte's dedicated team of tax technologists bring a wealth of technology and tax knowledge, and a disciplined approach, to create added value. We are actively engaging with advanced analytics, robotics and artificial intelligence.”

About Deloitte:

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About Deloitte & Touche (M.E.):

Deloitte & Touche (M.E.) is a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) and is a leading professional services firm established in the Middle East region with uninterrupted presence since 1926. DTME’s presence in the Middle East region is established through its affiliated independent legal entities, which are licensed to operate and to provide services under the applicable laws and regulations of the relevant country. DTME’s affiliates and related entities cannot oblige each other and/or DTME, and when providing services, each affiliate and related entity engages directly and independently with its own clients and shall only be liable only for its own acts or omissions and not those of any other affiliate.

Deloitte provides audit, tax, consulting, financial advisory and risk advisory services through 25 offices in 14 countries with more than 3,300 partners, directors and staff. It is a Tier 1 Tax advisor in the GCC region since 2010 (according to the International Tax Review World Tax Rankings). It has also received numerous awards in the last few years, which include bestAdvisory and Consultancy Firm of the Year 2016 in the CFO Middle East awards, best employer in the Middle East, the Middle East Training & Development Excellence Award by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), as well as the best CSR integrated organization.