London/Abu Dhabi CNN —Dubai has scrapped a 30% tax on alcohol and will no longer charge tourists or expats for permits to buy alcoholic drinks as the emirate tries to attract more foreign workers and visitors in the face of growing regional competition. Two major retailers in the city, located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said they had slashed their prices to reflect the tax cut. MMI, one of Dubai’s biggest alcohol retailers and a subsidiary of the state-owned Emirates group, has 21 stores across the city, according to its website. Muslims are prohibited from acquiring licenses for purchase of alcohol in Dubai. The sale of alcohol in the UAE is already more liberalized compared to neighboring Gulf countries.

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