Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: Omani nationals have welcomed the directives of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to boost the economy, and create a climate suitable for more investments.
His Majesty the Sultan recently met with sheikhs of Muscat, Musandam, and South Al Batinah, during which he issued a number of directives.
Yahya Al Harasi, Wali of Bausher in the Governorate of Muscat said, “His Majesty spoke of many wonderful decisions that had a great impact on society directly, especially with regard to reducing manpower for non-Omani fees, as well as support for small and medium enterprises, and other decisions.
Al Harrasi stressed: "There is no doubt that these decisions will have a positive impact on society as well as a positive economic impact in the long run."
One of the attendees at the meeting also said: "His Majesty the Sultan's meeting was positive. He focused on the development of Sultan Qaboos Port in the Wilayat of Muttrah, to develop it as a tourist and commercial destination. The port is very important as it will serve Muscat in particular and the Sultanate in general. His Majesty spoke about the cultural and historical importance of old Muttrah for tourism.”
Another attendee added: “His Majesty also spoke about preventing the dangers of floods in Muscat and across the rest of Oman. This is an important issue that is of great significance to communities.”
During the meeting, His Majesty the Sultan issued directives to cut down fees charged against the issuance and renewal of non-Omani manpower work permits in a manner that corresponds to the Government Services Pricing Index. This applies to government services aimed at boosting the business climate and upgrading the Sultanate of Oman’s competitiveness in attracting investments and easing burdens on the private sector.
The move also seeks to support firms committed to Omanisation percentages, as well as small and medium enterprises, to help enhance their contribution to the national economy.
His Majesty the Sultan exhorted the private sector to benefit from the fee reduction to provide more room for the employment of Omani jobseekers.
His Majesty the Sultan also affirmed the government’s keenness to follow-up all that relates to the stability of citizens’ livelihood affairs. In this context, His Majesty gave directives to add 25 more food commodities to the list of food items that are 100 percent exempt from the Value Added Tax (VAT), thereby taking the total number of such items to 513.
