The government is preparing a new integrated package of legislation to support the business community, which will be submitted to the House of Representatives once finalized, a senior government source told EnterpriseAM. The package aims to make it easier for businesses to operate by removing tax, customs, and procedural barriers.

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A new package of 21 customs measures is in the works, including a new law that would allow producers to pay customs duties on production inputs in installments, rather than in a single payment before clearance as is currently required. This change would help ease liquidity pressures, shorten production cycles, and cut warehousing costs, we were told.

The amendments also include new mechanisms to resolve long-standing issues facing factories in freezones and special economic zones. Currently, discrepancies in stock levels or production losses trigger penalties from the Industrial Development Authority and customs. Under the new draft, these cases would be considered minor violations, with higher tolerance levels for production losses, which will reduce the financial burdens on industrial projects.

New provisions will also be introduced to settle customs disputes, mirroring the approach adopted for tax disputes, the source said. Authorities are also studying cutting down the number of agencies required to inspect certain imported goods that do not need technical analysis. This would reduce costs and shorten the time goods spend in bonded warehouses.

Starting this month, a new AI-driven risk assessment system is being piloted in customs inspection and evaluation. The system is expected to facilitate broader use of transit, temporary admission, and conditional release procedures, while safeguarding against high-risk shipments.

There are also in-the-works amendments to the Investment Law, particularly Article 10, which would expand the scope of local and foreign investment, according to a government document seen by EnterpriseAM. The changes are expected to simplify procedures and attract more eligible investors across multiple sectors.

The government is preparing to roll out new electronic platforms for economic entities, including the Integrated Egypt Trade Platform, to raise efficiency across Egypt’s trade system.

Once enacted, these new laws and incentives could help Egypt attract more foreign investment by offering simplified procedures for the business community, the source said.

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