Home GCC Oman Oman posts $545m budget surplus on higher oil prices, tax Oman has implemented a series of reforms to bridge the budget gap and lower its debt, including the introduction of a 5 per cent value-added tax last year by Bloomberg April 6, 2022 Oman posted a budget surplus of $545m in the first two months of this year, helped by higher oil prices and tax collection. The surplus compared with a deficit of OMR457m ($1.2bn) a year ago, according the Gulf nation’s finance ministry. Net oil revenue jumped 81 per cent to OMR1.1bn at the end of February. Oman, which needs oil at about $61 a barrel to balance its books, has implemented a series of reforms to bridge the budget gap and lower its debt, including the introduction of a 5 per cent value-added tax last year. The finance ministry in January projected a budget deficit of $3.9bn for this year, based on oil prices at $50 a barrel. Oil’s surge after Ukrainian crisis has pushed crude above the break-even level for almost all the Middle East’s producers. Oman plans to use the windfall to trim its debt and boost spending on projects, its ruler said last month. S&P Global Ratings last week raised Oman’s credit ratings by one notch to BB-, with a stable outlook, due to higher oil prices, rising hydrocarbon production, and the government’s fiscal reform programme. Read: Oman to allow full foreign ownership in listed companies Tags Crude Oil Oman tax 0 Comments You might also like Mohsin Hani Al-Bahrani: Building upon MHD Group’s five decades legacy Oman sovereign fund merges Nitaj, FDO to boost food security Will OPEC+ go forward with its planned oil output increase in October? Oman Investment Authority boosts assets to OMR19.6bn in 2023