Minister of Finance Dr. Youssef Boutros Ghali has reiterated that equitable and fair treatment are the main elements characterizing appeal committees which are meant to present a neutral and fair element among taxpayers.  The statement was made in a meeting that gave the Minister audience with heads of the appeal committee, including judges and state councilors. 

The Minister explained that the idea is to minimize the number of pending cases based on transparency and confidence building measures linking both the taxpayers and the tax authority.

The Minister also noted that improving relations among members of the tax community has  been the main force driving the tax authority over the twenty four months; a fact which has lent substantial energy to local and foreign investments.

Ghali announced that an extensive training course for members of the appeal committee will be prepared in an effort to explain the new tax law, in addition to rotational monthly meetings with heads of the appeal committees under the chairmanship of the Minister.

The Minister has also called on taxpayers to commit to the deadline set by the tax authority which is March 31^st to hand in tax returns, adding that amendments to the returns have been introduced to adjust the information base required by the authority with regards to the payers.  Ghali announced that the success in the wake of the launch of the new tax law has sent ripples across the Arab world, with the latter requesting Egyptian support in the field.  The American Secretary for the treasury has also requested Minister Ghali to deliver an address to congress on the Egyptian experience with the application of the new law.