New Delhi (Sputnik) — Starting July 1, Indian workers would have to pay 100 Saudi riyals (about $27) each month for each member of their family as Dependant Tax or Family Tax, which will increase the financial burden on Indians in Saudi Arabia.
Indians constitute a sizable number of expats in Saudi Arabia. Around 41 million Indians are currently working in Saudi Arabia in various companies.
The imposition of Family Tax by the Saudi government for dependants of expats is seen as a measure to boost Saudi government's revenue.
"First of all, this family/dependent tax will increase the unnecessary burden on us. Further, the Saudi government has announced that they will increase the amount of tax every year. We have to pay the tax in advance. The basic objective of the Saudi government is to discourage expats. The fact is that our incomes are already dwindling here, therefore many Indian workers are now planning to send their families back to India," Junaid Khan, an Indian worker living in Riyadh, told Sputnik.