Coordination with Ministries of Petroleum, Tourism & Antiquities, Civil Aviation, Transport and Investment to agree on the assessment's criteria for their real estate assets

1500 tax inspector and their leaders participate in 4 workshops at Ministry of Finance to unify tax treatment and simplify application measures of the new law

Amicable settlement of many Citizens grievances without resorting to appeal committees

  Minister of Finance –Hany Kadry Dimian announced the completion of the executive regulation regarding amendments to real estate tax law, pointing that it has been referred to both Fatwa and Legislation departments of the State Council to be issued by a ministerial decree, setting the legal basis for the executive instructions that have been recently issued to facilitate receiving grievances, appeals and requests for proving exemption of the private housing unit. Such regulation includes also tables of calculating real estate taxes on additional units and private housing units worth more than the exemption limit amounted at 2 million EGP, besides administrative, commercial and professional units and form 6 regarding the exemption from tax payment and 6 bis regarding real estate returns.

  The Minister noted that the Egyptian Real Estate Tax Authority shall issue clear instructions to deal with the problems emerging during the actual application of the new real estate tax law, such as housing units owned by heirs , as they shall benefit from the exemption in addition to the units dedicated to sons in the properties owned to their parents , and also settling of  problem of the owners of unregistered real estate units and the addresses that are not registered in the owner's National ID , as it was decided to accept a receipt of electricity or water or gas consumption to prove that such unit is the family's housing unit.

He said that it is currently agreed between officials from the Ministry of Finance and sectors of tourism, petroleum, mineral wealth, transport, civil aviation and investment on the assessment of non-residential real estate units to issue assessment criteria for such establishments, as it is actually agreed on assessment criteria for the real estate assets utilized in the industrial sector.

 The Minister revealed that several workshops  were hold during four days at the headquarter of the Ministry of Finance attended by about 1500 employees, including heads of tax districts , real estate tax directorates and employees of the Real Estate Tax Authority  across Egypt , as well as head of the Real estate Tax Authority and the Minister's assistants and advisors to discuss all problems which have emerged over the past few days during  application of the new real estate tax law , pointing that a manual shall be prepared , which shall include  solutions for such problems and measures to be taken for settlement , besides unifying the mechanisms of law application all over the Republic.

Meanwhile , the Head of the Real Estate tax Authority – Dr. Samia Hussein said that real estate tax directorates continue to receive filed appeals and refer  them to the appeal committees to discuss and settle, referring that tax directorates also consider the grievances and settle them amicably according to the instructions , and many grievances have been already settled.

She also declared that appeals are currently being referred to appeal committees headed by a member of judicial body , as law stipulates that appeal shall be settled within 30 day from submission.

  She said that she issued instructions to heads of tax districts to mandate employees from different administration to bridge the gap in human resources in some tax directorates, as some of them reached the age of retirement, others are promoted, and emphasis the need to exert efforts by the employees of the Authority to work hard and seriously in surveying, calculating and collecting real estate tax for the convenience of citizens.

  She also added that Minister of Finance issued instructions to improve work environment, particularly in tax directorates located in ramshackle headquarters, as the Minister agreed to move them to alternative places, and to set a plan to develop all real estate tax directorates all over Egypt to provide all their technical and financial needs.