Qatar: Increase in foreign ownership ceilings
Description
On 1 February 2010, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani signed Law Number 1 of 2010 including amendments to foreign ownership ceilings of certain businesses. As numerous and consistent press reports indicate, businesses in consulting, technical services, information technology, distribution services and cultural, sports and leisure services may now be owned up to 100 percent by foreign nationals.
Prior to the change, foreign persons were only allowed to hold at most 49 percent of a given business.
Any Evidence-Based Deliberation:
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Is there anything in the public record to suggest that evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed measure was considered during official deliberations? | |
| Is there any evidence that alternatives to the proposed measure were considered? | |
| Is there anything in the public record that suggests that empirical evidence informed the comparison across the alternatives available to government? | |
| Was such evidence identified? | |
| Is such evidence publicly available? | |
| Did the official decision-maker in question provide an explanation as to why a chosen measure was favoured over alternatives? | |
| Is there any evidence to suggest that potentially affected trading partners were consulted before the measures were taken? | |
| Is there any evidence that safeguards have been put in place to ensure that implementation of the initiative is transparent and non-discriminatory? | |
| Did the government state its intention to review the measure within one year of implementation? |
Date Discovered:
Implemented: Yes
Date of inception: 1 Feb 2010
GTA Evaluation: Green
Source:
Economist Intelligence Unit. (1 April 2010). Regulatory watch: Qatar.
Gulf News. (1 April 2010). Qatar to ease ownership law. Available at http://gulfnews.com/business/economy/qatar-to-ease-ownership-law-1.606274
IHS Global Insight. (1 April 2010). Qatar Mulls Increase of Foreign Ownership Rights.
UNCTAD Investment Policy Brief, A Report by UNCTAD Secretariat, 20 April 2010.
Government Response:
- 616 reads
