Qatar University College of Business and Economics (QU-CBE) and Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding with the “Big Four” accounting firms - Deloitte, Ernst & Young (EY), KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), for the development and delivery of a tax awareness training programme for QU students.
The training sessions will be provided at QU during the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic years. They are designed to highlight key points in international tax principles and Qatari tax law, and will use indicative examples. Eight training sessions covering basic and intermediate levels will be delivered in both English and Arabic in each of the two academic semesters in 16 training sessions.
CBE dean Dr Khalid Shams al-Abdulqader said: “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.”
QFC Authority chief financial and tax officer Hamed al-Saadi said: “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.”
Rami Qudah, partner, Deloitte Middle East, said, “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.”
EY office managing partner Paul Karamanoukian said, “The global tax landscape is going through a period of unprecedented change. Mena and the GCC are no different, with new taxes and fiscal reforms consistently making headline news. Our future business leaders need to understand the new landscape and its implications for business.”
KPMG Qatar-country senior partner Ahmed Abu-Sharkh said, “KPMG is delighted to be part of this initiative to promote tax awareness amongst young Qatari students. We believe it is valuable for our Qatari Community to understand the role of taxation in Qatar and how taxation can help organisations grow into successful business.”
PwC Qatar head of tax Neil O’Brien said, “The impact of tax and tax regulation is one of the most important topics for us in the region today. Understanding the implications of existing taxes and new taxes domestically and globally has therefore become an imperative for the business leaders of the future.”

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