The Finance Ministry has finished drafting the executive regulations of the value-added tax (VAT) expects to issue them early next month, said Deputy Finance Minister Amr El Monayer. The regs are extensive and address most of the concerns of the representatives of the over 20 economic sectors who met with the ministry to discuss the them. The ministry does plan to hold a meeting this week with the Federation of Egyptian Banks to discuss their objections to non-banking services provided by banks being subject to the tax, El Monayer tells Al Shorouk.

You know you’re late when Parliament, of all things, is telling you to speed it up: The House of Representatives is reportedly getting agitated that the Finance Ministry has not yet issued the executive regulations. The ministry had apparently promised the House Budget Committee it will send them a draft of the law by mid-October, said committee member Yasser Omar, according to Al Borsa. Parliamentary approval is not required to pass the executive regulations. By law, the Finance Ministry was required to issue the regs on 8 October.

Unsolicited advice to the nice people in Finance, of whom we are (genuinely, without sarcasm) very fond: We’re all babies. None of us want to pay taxes. Especially not the lawyers. Or the doctors. Or the dentists. Or the auditors. Or the financial advisors… So khalas. Issue the regs. Tax us all and let God sort it out. You need revenues, we need potholes filled, hospitals refurbished, a social safety net for the poor…