The Shura Council calls for linking verified online stores to complaint platforms
The Saudi Shura Council held its 27th regular session of the second year of its ninth term, chaired by the Council's Vice President, Dr. Meshaal bin Fahm Al-Sulami, via video conference. During this session, the Council issued a number of important development resolutions, most notably a directive to the Ministry of Commerce to coordinate with relevant authorities to update the standards for classifying certified online stores and to require them to link directly to approved government complaint platforms.
Decisive measures to regulate verified online stores and protect consumers
In a move aimed at enhancing the reliability of digital transactions, the Shura Council stressed the need to require verified online stores to link to complaint platforms, while also establishing binding timeframes for addressing consumers' financial and contractual disputes. The Council also called on the Ministry of Commerce to coordinate with the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) to encourage retail outlets to accept all approved local and international electronic payment methods, such as credit cards and digital wallets, and not limit them to a specific method. This would contribute to protecting consumer rights and supporting the promising tourism sector.
In a related context, the council called for unifying the method of disclosing value-added tax and highlighting it clearly in the various sales outlets, in addition to calling on the ministry to accelerate the handling of the challenges facing entrepreneurs and economic operators in emerging sectors during the initial establishment stages.
General context and legislative development of digital commerce in the Kingdom
These regulatory moves by the Shura Council are part of a historic path the Kingdom embarked upon with the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, which prioritizes digital transformation and building a robust knowledge-based economy. The legislative environment witnessed a significant leap forward with the issuance of the E-Commerce Law in 2019, which established the legal framework to protect online commercial transactions. These recent decisions complement this legislative system to keep pace with the enormous growth in the volume of digital financial flows and ensure a safe and stable investment environment for all parties.
Strategic importance and expected impact locally and internationally
These decisions carry significant economic and social dimensions. Locally, they contribute to raising consumer confidence in digital shopping and reduce instances of commercial fraud, thus encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to expand digitally. Regionally and internationally, facilitating diverse payment methods and developing the legislative infrastructure enhance the Kingdom's ranking in global competitiveness indices as an attractive destination for foreign investment in the financial technology (FinTech) and logistics sectors, in addition to improving the experience of international tourists visiting the Kingdom.
National initiatives to support linguistic identity and business sector competitiveness
The Council’s decisions were not limited to the commercial aspect, but included multiple cultural and competitive aspects. The Council called on the King Salman Global Academy for the Arabic Language to coordinate with the General Authority for Endowments to establish special endowments that support its financial sustainability, and to activate the “National Policy for the Arabic Language,” in addition to launching a national initiative concerned with the language of the Arab child educationally and culturally in order to preserve the national identity.
The Council also called on the Saudi Center for Competitiveness and Business to work on reducing the duration of license issuance and developing unified time mechanisms among government agencies, while developing the unified electronic platform for surveying public opinion (the survey platform) and employing modern technologies to link it to international competitiveness indicators.
At the end of the session, the Council discussed the annual reports of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Financial Academy, and the National Center for Water Efficiency and Conservation, issuing recommendations aimed at aligning training outputs with labor market requirements, measuring the impact of awareness programs on taxpayer compliance, and building advanced performance measurement systems for water conservation according to clear digital targets.
