In this meeting, discussions were held with officials from the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority regarding the Authority’s proposed budget for 2026. The authority highlighted that the biggest challenge they face in achieving their targets in the coming years would be retaining technically qualified staff. Due to higher salaries in the private sector and recent salary increases in other state institutions, MIRA is no longer competitive compared to other independent state institutions in terms of salary, working hours, and restrictions imposed. The authority emphasized that without increasing employee’s salary and improving the work environment, it would be difficult to maintain optimal performance of the organization.

In addition, the Authority noted that among the measures to increase state revenue for the year 2026, the full impact of the changes brought to TGST through the amendments to Act No. 3/2010 (Tax Administration Act), and the changes introduced in 2024 to the Departure Tax and Airport Development Fee will be observed next year.

Regarding the budget proposed for 2026, the Committee decided to request the Ministry of Finance and Planning to arrange an additional MVR 4.1 million needed by the Maldives Inland Revenue Authority for staff salaries, training, and programs, without altering the amount.

Attendees from Maldives Inland Revenue Authority for the meeting;

1. Mr. Hassan Zareer, Commissioner General of Taxation
2. Ms. Fathimath Ameezah, Deputy Commissioner General of Taxation
3. Mr. Ahmed Shafneez, Director General - Administration and Finance