Last Night’s Talk Shows on the EGX tax cuts + the aftermath of the storm in Aswan
It was a mixed bag of nuts on the airwaves last night: EGX tax cuts, the scorpion attacks in Aswan and controversy over fourth-grade curriculum all had the nation’s talking heads, well, talking.
The thinking behind the EGX tax cuts: The package of measures announced last week to make it more affordable to trade on the EGX are not incentives designed to draw new investors into the market but are reforms done an anticipation of potentially negative effects stemming from the introduction of the capital gains tax in January, EGX board member Ahmed Abou El Saad told Kelma Akhira (watch, runtime: 10:49).
How are the people of Aswan coping? El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 5:08) took us to Aswan to follow up on the scorpion attacks and heavy rains that destroyed a number of houses. We got to see the damage done and hear the testimonies of those who lost their houses due to the rains. On the bright side, Amer Group and an unnamed Saudi donor have donated a combined EGP 1.5 mn for the humanitarian aid going to those who fell victims to Aswan’s heavy rains, Amr Adib said (watch, runtime: 5:05).
A fourth-grade revolt: The past week has seen complaints surface on social media from parents and children about how difficult the fourth grade curriculum is, including a video of a little boy crying for help with his school work. In an interview on Ala Mas’ouleety last night, Education Minister Tarek Shawki dismissed the criticism, telling show host Ahmed Moussa that the complaints have no basis and that claims that fourth graders are being taught 13 subjects instead of five are not true (watch, runtime: 34:00).