Fresh details are out on the government’s new tax system: The Madbouly government is gearing up to launch its long-awaited tax policy document next year, as part of a wider package of measures aimed at attracting foreign investments and changing the overall investment climate in Egypt, two government sources told EnterpriseAM.

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ICYMI: The Finance Ministry announced earlier this month that it will launch public consultations on its tax policy document in the first quarter of the next fiscal year.

What the new system entails: The new tax system will see just two or three entities in charge of collecting taxes and fees, in an effort to streamline the overall fee collection process. The government’s payment network will handle real-time transfers of the collected amounts to each firm or entity, while ensuring that the revenues owed to each entity remain unaffected, our sources said. Taxes and fees will be paid through a single platform to reduce the burden on investors, they added. The committee formed to handle unifying the tax structure has concluded its work, with the aim of making “investment planning more transparent.”

The government is moving toward unifying 55% of taxes and fees, a move which will grant investors more clarity and allow them to develop more accurate investment plans. Establishing specific entities to collect all taxes and fees will significantly accelerate investment activity, the sources said.

Fees will be consistent throughout the duration of each project: Companies established after the issuance of the new tax policy will enjoy consistent tax treatment for the entire duration of their projects regardless of future changes in laws, giving investors further assurances for their investment planning, the sources said.

A new digital platform will allow the collection of fees over the phone, with the platform set to be launched alongside the CIT Ministry. This app will include services that pertain to imported mobile phones, tourists, Egyptians residing abroad, foreigners, and businesspeople residing in Egypt for over three months.

Remember: Imported mobile phones could be subject to customs and tax fees totaling 37.5% — including a 5% development fee tax — as part of incoming government regulations to support the country’s mobile phone manufacturing localization efforts, a high-ranking government source previously told EnterpriseAM.

Prepare to welcome the new tax with the new year, unnamed sources in the telecom sector told Al Mal.

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