Finance Ministry and SCZone to hold meeting to discuss investor incentives and taxation
Officials from the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) and the Finance Ministry are scheduled to discuss taxes and incentives in the SCZone, Deputy Finance Minister Amr Al-Mounir told Al Borsa. He added that no “new” taxation policies regarding the zone are confirmed as of yet, and that the ministry is currently studying more effective ways to collect arrears. President Abdelfattah El Sisi had “agreed in principle” that taxes in the SCZone ought to be reviewed from 22.5%, SCZone chief Ahmed Darwish announced in July. Darwish told the newspaper that he had consistently called for pushing the tax rate down to 10% in order to attract investors. The ministry and SCZone also held meetings last month to bring back the tax incentives at special economic zones. As we reported yesterday, SCZone is going forward with plans announced to make companies pay electricity and water utilities bills in USD, a move is unpopular among foreign companies despite statements to the contrary by Darwish.