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Tuesday, 6 December 2022

Tax Authority tells self-employed to register for e-invoicing amid growing protests

The taxman isn’t backing down on e-invoicing: Lawyers will not be granted an exemption from registering on the government’s e-invoicing system, the head of the Tax Authority said yesterday in the wake of rare protests in several parts of the country. Hundreds of lawyers gathered outside syndicates in Cairo, Alexandria, Assiut and elsewhere yesterday in opposition to the rules, which they say will hit them with huge fees.

REMEMBER- The Tax Authority is requiring self-employed professionals, including doctors, engineers, lawyers and artists to register on the e-invoicing system by 15 December.

This was the second protest in a week, with a smaller one taking place last Thursday. In statements to AFP, lawyer Tarek Al Awady claimed that “thousands” of lawyers turned out yesterday to oppose e-invoicing, which he said could impose fees exceeding what an average law firm makes in four months.

Taxman takes no [redacted]: Tawfik said that the authority will impose penalties on everyone who fails to register on the system by 15 December. Sources at the authority said that those who don’t meet the deadline could be fined between EGP 20k and EGP 100k. They will also be included in a “blacklist” of those who have not registered, and won’t be able to claim VAT and other tax rebates.

It’s not just lawyers who aren’t happy: The decision has recently sparked backlash among a number of self-employed professions, including doctors and pharmacists who are calling on the Finance Ministry to scrap or delay the 15 December deadline.

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