The Finance Ministry will soon begin to take inventory of real estate assets as part of the government’s proposed amendments to the Property Tax Law, a senior government source told EnterpriseAM. The process will apply to units valued at more than EGP 4 mn or those with an annual rental value exceeding EGP 50k.

REMEMBER- The Madbouly government earlier this year doubled the tax exemption threshold for privately-owned houses to EGP 4 mn, shortly after it greenlit amendments to the Property Tax Law. The move came in response to rising property prices and inflation.

The details: The inventory will focus on certain urban areas, including the Fifth Settlement, Sheikh Zayed, the new capital, and New Alamein, according to our source. The process will also include cell towers, electricity stations, and wastewater facilities, with their taxable values to be assessed in coordination with the relevant authorities.

Residential compounds will fall under the first phase of the process, according to our source, who explained that the Real Estate Tax Authority will collect the needed data from the companies managing the compounds. Residential compounds are expected to account for 450k units out of a total of 45 mn housing units, which are estimated to shape Egypt’s real estate wealth, given the lack of an accurate inventory, one of our sources previously told us.

What about tourist cities and coastal resorts? Authorities are currently preparing a list of the companies that own coastal developments along the Red Sea and Mediterranean ahead of requesting data on property owners and occupied units.

FinMin expectations: Following the inventory, the state expects to generate EGP 27 bn in real estate tax revenues in FY 2026-27, up from the targeted EGP 18 bn for the current fiscal year and EGP 8 bn in FY 2024-25, according to our source.

A unified tax declaration? The proposed amendments to the law introduce unified tax declaration for individuals who own multiple units, replacing the current system that requires owners to submit separate declarations at each unit’s respective tax office.

Settling real estate taxes is about to be easier than ever before, with the government preparing to launch a mobile application for tax services next January, which will allow citizens to manage their real estate tax portfolios and pay their taxes electronically, according to our source. The application is currently being tested by state-owned fintech giant e-Finance ahead of its official rollout.

What’s next? The Finance Ministry intends to launch the new package of real estate tax facilities as soon as the yet-to-be-formed House approves it.

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