Starting Sunday Oct. 1, prices on soft drinks and cigarettes will be subject to an excise tax, increasing prices 50% and 100% respectively. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, released a statement saying that the tax is a way to “discourage the consumption of products that negatively impact the environment and, more importantly, people’s health.” This move is in line with the UAE’s recent tax system reforms. The Value Added Tax will come into effect starting from the beginning of 2018. The VAT will have a value of 5% and will affect most goods and services, but some food items, health, education, bicycles and social services will be exempted. The UAE, together with Gulf Cooperation Council countries, has decided to implement taxation as a way to increase revenues due to the decrease in oil prices.

On Sept. 29, the announcement was made that Dubai will be the host city for the 2020 International Astronautical Congress. The decision comes after Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre submitted an official bid last August to host the 71st edition of the event. The congress is the largest annual gathering of space professionals in the world. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, commented on the result by saying that he was looking forward to welcoming 5,000 scholars from 70 countries. The UAE will be the first Arab country to host the event. The aim of the congress is to issue suggestions that could be beneficial for the space industry. Hosting it in 2020 will be especially significant for Dubai since it’s the same year as the Expo and just days after the expected launch of the UAE Mars Mission probe, Hope.

This week Dubai tested a flying two-seat drone designed to transport people autonomously. The flight is part of Dubai’s pursuit of flying taxis. The drone is property of the German-made electric Volocopter company.

Powered by electricity, the Autonomous Air Taxi prototype has a 30 minute maximum flight time and is able to reach up to 100 kmph. This week’s testing was done with no crew on board and climbed to an altitude of 200 meters. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority hopes that autonomous transport will account for a quarter of total trips by 2030 and is already working to create policies and laws for AAT services.