The Madbouly government signed off on a package of decisions during its weekly meeting yesterday, including measures to implement the amended Old Rent Law and new rules for selling or leasing state-owned industrial plots, according to statements from the cabinet.

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#1- The cabinet approved the rules for setting up governorate-level committees that will inventory and value all old-rent residential areas. Committees will sort areas into premium, middle-income, and economic zones using a points-based system considering location, building condition, unit size, infrastructure, and services, and must complete their work within three months of the law’s effective date. Governors will publish classifications in the Official Gazette.

ICYMI- President Abdel Fattah El Sisi earlier this month signed into law amendments to the OldRent Law. The legislation sets a seven-year transitional period for tenants to vacate residential units and five years for non-residential units rented by individuals, after which all old rent contracts will be scrapped.

#2- Ministers also approved a draft decision setting unified rules for selling or leasing state-owned industrial plots, either via the Egypt Digital Industrial Platform or by direct application to the Industry Ministry. Buyers or usufruct holders must first pay for the plot in full, obtain licensing, and operate for at least three years before resale or transfer. They can convert from usufruct to ownership after three years of operations, subject to market revaluation.

#3- Changes to car import facilities for those with disabilities: The cabinet greenlit a draft decision amending customs and VAT exemptions on imported cars for individuals with disabilities, which would allow them to import one car tax and duty-free every 15 years, instead of every 5 years as currently allowed. Approved changes also tighten conditions on resale, use, and eligibility, and raise penalties — including prison time — for forging documents, making false claims, or impersonating a person with a disability to access benefits.

The decision isn’t ideal for disabled drivers: Most beneficiaries of the exemptions import used vehicles to keep costs down; a 2020 model brought in during 2025 would effectively need to be kept until 2040 under the new cabinet-passed amendments — turning it into a worn-out car and raising breakdown risks that are harder for disabled drivers to manage, Auto Dealers Association head Osama Abou El Magd told EnterpriseAM. Global practice is closer to a five-year replacement cycle, and policymakers should revisit the decision, keep the five-year limit, and tighten regulations against misuse, he added.

REMEMBER- The Madbouly government has been working to close a loophole that some have used to import cars without paying the necessary fees. Last year, the cabinet approved a draft decision to amend the executive regulations of the law that governs the rights of people with disabilities, changing the vehicle import system for those with disabilities, and making it more difficult for people to abuse.

#4- Ministers also approved the reallocation of land to expand Al Arish Port and build a rail link to the Bir El Abd-Al Arish-Ras El Naqab line.

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