Minister of Finance Dr. Youssef Boutros Ghali has reiterated that the first round on economic reform and its impact on economic growth has led to the increase in investments by approximately four billion dollars and to the tax base by 17%.  Ghali affirmed that the reforms are meant to put the country on the track of developed nations and overcome the gap in lost opportunities.

Head of the Arab Monetary Fund Hossam el Manaay has described the reforms in Egypt as instrumental in bringing about positive results that are aimed at paving the road for more investments .  Mr. Manaay called on Arab countries to continue to introduce transparency and closing disputes, in addition to developing channels for social expenditures.  He also demanded focus on subsidies which have not help improve the living conditions of poorer brackets.  The head of the Arab Monetary Fund also insisted on improving fiscal policies to attain a trade and public debt balances and called for developing the system of education in Arab countries to meet with the market demands for training skilled cadres, pointing to the growing gap between interest rates and deposits.

(source: Al-Gomhuriya)