When arriving by air, you can, as a non-
Muslim visitor over 18, buy certain quanti-
ties of booze in the airport duty-free shop
upon arrival (the limit is 4L of spirits, wine
or beer). With the exception of ‘dry’ Sharjah,
where alcohol and even sheesha (water pipe)
smoking is banned, you can also purchase
alcohol in bars and clubs that are generally
attached to four- and five-star hotels for
on-site consumption. Expat residents can
acquire an alcohol licence, which entitles
them to a fixed monthly limit of alcohol
available from alcohol stores. The only store
where you can officially buy alcohol without
a licence is at the Barracuda Beach Resort
in the northern emirate of Umm al-Quwain,
north of Sharjah, about an hour’s drive
north of Dubai. Note that you are not of-
ficially allowed to transport alcohol through
‘dry’ Sharjah, although most people just
seem to take the risk anyway.

The sin Tax

How exactly do the authorities decide on

those sky-high booze prices? Yes, it’s all

down to a hefty haram (literally ‘forbid-

den’) tax. Consider the following (or go

teetotal) during your trip.

̈ a bottle of Californian plonk that costs uS$10

wholesale automatically incurs a 50% import

tax, upping the importer’s price to $15.

̈ add a 33% profit for the importer, and now it

costs $20.

̈ The Dubai-based purchaser (ie the hotel that

sells it to the consumer) pays a 30% tax. now it

costs uS$26 – at wholesale.

̈ The hotel then marks up the price 200% to

make its profit and pay its employees. now it

costs about $75.

̈ at the moment of sale, the public pays an

additional 20%, jacking up the final retail price

to a whopping $90.

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