OMAN Law and Practice Contributed by: Said Al-Shahry, Thamer Al-Shahry, Jeremy Pooley, Maria Mariam Rabeaa Petrou, Mujtaba Ali Kazmi and Salim Al Harthi, Said Al Shahry & Partners
6. Competition Law 6.1 Merger Control Notification
destruction, concealment or disposal takes place within two years of the date of receipt of the Tax Authority’s notice; or • intentional violation of the obligations to, among other things, provide data, information or docu - ments regarding taxation-related international treaties or failure to do so as a result of gross negligence. 5.8 Tariffs Oman’s tariff regime is primarily governed by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Common External Tariff, under which most imports are subject to a standard customs duty of 5%. However, higher tariffs ‒ some - times reaching up to 100% ‒ are applied to select - ed goods in line with cultural, health and economic objectives. These include products such as tobacco, alcohol, energy drinks and pork, largely due to pub - lic health and religious considerations. In contrast, essential goods such as basic foodstuffs, medicines and humanitarian items are typically exempt from cus - toms duties. While tariff rates are generally not country-specific, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) play a key role in reduc - ing or eliminating customs duties. Imports from GCC member states benefit from duty-free access, provid - ed they meet the applicable rules of origin. The US- Oman Free Trade Agreement also provides near-com - plete tariff exemption for qualifying goods from the United States, while the GCC-Singapore FTA offers preferential terms for eligible imports from Singapore. Oman’s tariff policy seeks to balance trade liberalisa - tion with the protection of key domestic industries. In 2025, the country adopted the GCC Unified 12-digit Tariff Code, standardising product classification across the region and enhancing regulatory transpar - ency without altering existing duty rates. Oman’s active engagement in new FTA negotiations is expected to have a significant impact on its future tariff landscape. Through its participation in GCC-level negotiations with partners such as the United King - dom, Turkey, and Japan, Oman is working to expand preferential access for its exports while further liber - alising imports from key trading partners.
Anti-competitive practices in Oman are regulated by the Competition Law RD 67/2014 (as amended – the “Competition Law”) and its executive regulations. Any person intending to take any action resulting in an “economic concentration” must submit a written application to the MOCIIP. An “economic concentration” is defined in the Com - petition Law as “any act that results in the transfer of the ownership of all or part of the assets, shares, stocks, use, rights or obligations of one person to another person or establishing consortiums or amal - gamations or combining two or more managements under one joint management, which is likely to cause a person or a group of persons directly or indirectly to be in a dominant position.” Joint ventures are, there - fore, potentially caught by this definition. Any action that would lead to an economic concentra - tion resulting in the acquisition of more than 50% of the market concerned may not be approved by the MOCIIP, which has the discretion to approve or reject applications falling below this 50% threshold. The scope of the Competition Law is broad. It applies to all activities of production, commerce, services and any other economic or commercial activities practised in Oman and to any economic or commercial activities performed outside Oman that would have consequen - tial effects inside Oman. The Competition Law also regulates the abuse of IP rights, where this would have an adverse effect on competition. It does contain limited exemptions, how - ever, including for public utility companies and certain R&D activities. 6.2 Merger Control Procedure The MOCIIP will examine any application for clear - ance of an economic concentration (see 6.1 Merger Control Notification ) and issue a decision within 90 days (and will be deemed to have approved the appli - cation if it does not respond within such timeframe).
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