The Reading / Listening - VAT - Level 4

Saudi Arabia will triple the rate of value added tax on goods and services. It will rise to 15 per cent. The government said this was necessary because of the effects of coronavirus on the economy. The pandemic has damaged the oil-rich nation's finances. Oil prices and demand for oil have fallen. Saudi started VAT for the first time in 2018. Oil revenue this year has fallen by almost a quarter when compared to the same period last year.

Saudi's Finance Ministry also suspended the cost of living allowance. This is paid to state workers to help with rising prices and expensive petrol. The Finance Minister said: "These measures are...necessary to maintain financial and economic stability over the medium to long term...and to overcome the unprecedented coronavirus crisis with the least damage possible." The measures would impact consumption and could lower revenues.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    VAT - Level 5 or  VAT - Level 6

Sources
  • https://finance.yahoo.com/news/saudi-arabia-raise-vat-threefold-030733064.html
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52612785
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/saudi-triples-vat-suspends-handouts-in-virus-led-austerity-drive/ar-BB13SVjm


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. value added tax on
  2. The government said this
  3. damaged the oil-rich
  4. Oil prices and demand
  5. for the first time
  6. oil
  7. fallen by almost
  8. compared to the same
  1. a quarter
  2. nation's finances
  3. revenue
  4. was necessary
  5. period last year
  6. goods and services
  7. for oil have fallen
  8. in 2018

Paragraph 2

  1. suspended the cost
  2. This is paid to state
  3. necessary to maintain financial and
  4. over the medium
  5. the unprecedented coronavirus
  6. with the least damage
  7. The measures would
  8. lower
  1. impact consumption
  2. economic stability
  3. revenues
  4. workers
  5. to long term
  6. of living allowance
  7. possible
  8. crisis

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Saudi Arabia will triple the rate of value added tax on (1) ___________________. It will rise to fifteen per cent. The government said this was (2) ___________________ the effects of coronavirus on the economy. The pandemic has damaged the oil-(3) ___________________. Oil (4) ___________________ for oil have fallen. Saudi started VAT for the first time in 2018. Oil revenue this year has fallen by (5) ___________________ when compared to the same (6) ___________________.

Saudi's Finance Ministry also suspended the cost (7) ___________________. This is paid to state workers to help (8) ___________________ and expensive petrol. The Finance Minister said: "These (9) ___________________ to maintain financial and economic stability over the (10) ___________________ term...and to overcome the unprecedented coronavirus crisis with (11) ___________________ possible." The measures would impact consumption and (12) ___________________.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

SaudiArabiawilltripletherateofvalueaddedtaxongoodsandservices.I
twillrisetofifteenpercent.Thegovernmentsaidthiswasnecessarybe
causeoftheeffectsofcoronavirusontheeconomy.Thepandemichasda
magedtheoil-richnation'sfinances.Oilpricesanddemandforoilhavef
allen.SaudistartedVATforthefirsttimein2018.Oilrevenuethisyearhas
fallenbyalmostaquarterwhencomparedtothesameperiodlastyear.Sa
udi'sFinanceMinistryalsosuspendedthecostoflivingallowance.Thisis
paidtostateworkerstohelpwithrisingpricesandexpensivepetrol.TheF
inanceMinistersaid:"Thesemeasuresare...necessarytomaintainfina
ncialandeconomicstabilityoverthemediumtolongterm...andtooverc
ometheunprecedentedcoronaviruscrisiswiththeleastdamagepossibl
e."Themeasureswouldimpactconsumptionandcouldlowerrevenues.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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