** #4 EXCLUSIVE- LEGISLATION WATCH- The Madbouly Cabinet is expected to receive the final draft of the Customs Act this week for review, a senior government official told Enterprise yesterday. Finance Minister Mohamed Maait had said last week that the bill — which means to bring local customs laws in line with international best practices and raise Egypt’s ranking in a number of global indices — was being finalized and would be presented to the cabinet and Council of State (Maglis Al Dawla) soon. Earlier this month, the ministry had released a draft of the act following consultations with business groups and global institutions such as the World Bank and World Customs Organization. The bill is, which is expected to be presented to the House of Representatives during the current legislative term, includes provisions that should expedite the clearance of goods through customs, create a white list of importers, and expand the Customs Authority’s powers.

In other legislative news, MPs say they have not had any talks with the Finance Ministry about the cancellation of a EGP 50 levy on new mobile phone lines. Some of them told Al Mal yesterday that the policy could only be repealed or replaced through a legislative amendment and that they have yet to receive any word from the government. Our sources in the government had told us that the Finance Ministry is considering canceling the duty, which has reportedly weighed down line sales and failed to generate revenues for the state, and is studying two alternative approaches that could see them either introduce a new service fee or double the stamp tax on mobile phone bills.