Starting a Business in UAE: What Indian Founders Get Wrong About Free Zones and Tax

A free zone licence in the UAE does not mean 0 per cent tax. Breach one condition and the entity moves to 9 per cent for that year and the four that follow. In this first session of Jargon Buster Conversations, I speak with CA. Harish E., Partner at The Syndicate Advisors and Consultants LLC, UAE, about what it actually takes to start and run a business in the UAE - not the brochure version. We cover the choice between mainland, free zone and offshore, what a licence really costs in year one and again in year two, why the corporate bank account is harder to get than the licence itself, and how UAE corporate tax works in practice. That includes the Qualifying Free Zone Person conditions, the de minimis test, Small Business Relief after its extension to 2029, VAT and the e-invoicing timetable. We also spend time on the part most setup consultants skip entirely: the India side. Funding the entity through ODI or LRS, the reporting that follows, place of effective management, tax residency, and how a promoter brings profits home cleanly. If you are weighing a UAE entity, this is the conversation to have before you commit any money. GUEST CA. Harish E. Partner, The Syndicate Advisors and Consultants LLC, UAE LinkedIn:   / ca-harish-e-249b4479   HOST CA. Abhijith Preman Founder and Designated Partner, Abhijith Preman & Co. LLP, Chartered Accountants Bengaluru | Kochi | Calicut LinkedIn:   / abhijithpreman   Website: https://apcallp.com Jargon Buster Conversations is a series where I sit down with specialists and ask the questions founders and business owners actually need answered, in plain language. One hour, no jargon, open audience questions at the end. Subscribe to catch Session 2. Note: The positions discussed reflect the law as it stood on the date of recording, 28 August 2026, including Ministerial Decision No. 131 of 2026, which extended Small Business Relief to tax periods ending on or before 31 December 2029. Tax law changes. This conversation is general in nature and is not advice on any specific situation. #UAEBusinessSetup #CorporateTax #StartupFinance