House to discuss E-commerce Act next week
LEGISLATION WATCH- Gov’t to introduce proposed E-commerce Act to the House on 15 November: The government will introduce its proposed E-commerce Act to the House of Representatives on 15 November when the House CIT Committee starts hearings, committee chair Rep. Ahmed Badawi told Amwal Al Ghad.
Background: Local press had noted that the law was primarily concerned with establishing a tax framework for the industry. Government sources had told us back in June that the Finance Ministry was looking to impose a VAT on e-commerce.
Major players feel left out: Jumia CEO Hisham Safwat complained to the newspaper that the private sector was not consulted when the government was drafting the law. He did note that the company is now in talks with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) to discuss the bill. Jumia and Amazon subsidiary Souq.com had previously said they expect ot be regulated.