MUSCAT : As part of curbing hidden trade, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has formed a working team to study the phenomenon of multiple commercial registers and trading in them.

A ministerial decision was issued by His Excellency Qais bin Mohammed Al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.

The working team headed by Dr. Saleh bin Said Masan, Under Secretary of Ministry of Commerce and Industry will also have members from other authorities. “They will assist the Ministry in its new approach to establishing a suitable investment environment that encourages firms to engage in business in the country,” a statement from the Ministry said.

The team will revise mechanisms to regulate the multiplicity of commercial registers and legalize and regulate the cancellation of lease contracts of commercial outlets by coordinating with the departments concerned.

It will conduct field visits to sites and locations where expatriate workers operate. It will also lay down mechanisms to check the truth behind private businesses and follow up their commitment to Omanisation programmes and percentages. In addition, the team will check the existence of suitable residence for expats in accordance with regulations organizing such lodgings.

As part of the procedure, the team will organize meetings with representatives of private sector establishments and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to listen to their views and discuss their proposals about ways to solve the problem of multiplicity of commercial registers.

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