Luxor4u

The registration forms were available in English on the internet at the time they were due. It doesn't mean people were lying to you necessarily, maybe they just didn't know.

I would of thought that the people in the office would of known this fact, as that is what they where in that particular office for, the administration of the forms. But this no longer matters, at the time it was not a problem, now it is even less so. I was just giving my experience of these forms, not attempting to argue one way or the other as to the authenticity of the procedure as I and others experienced it at the time. What happens over the coming months will happen, so we will wait and see and just except what ever they tell us to do.

In 2008 I downloaded all the forms from the Government website in English, completed them in English and then lodged them at the Luxor Government office. Couldn't have been easier and it cost me nothing except my time!

It was more likely early 2010 as that is when the forms were due and when they appeared on the government website. But the law was issued in 2008.

yes you are right Glyph - I was looking at the wrong date on the copies of my forms!

Not sure how they will treat all the changes to my properties and rental agreements since I submitted the forms!

Well this might be rather funny Chris, but under the so called new rules inflationary increases are to apply every five years at 30%, therefore 6% per year! they may add this to that then set price, though perhaps Glyph may have more info on this.

A4-We're not property moguls like some others around here that we expect any taxes to be due at all, so I have not investigated all the ins and outs of this.

Properties worth up to LE2 mn now exempt from tax.

Egyptian families will be exempted from paying tax on one property worth up to LE2 million ($290,000), according to new tax rules announced by the finance ministry.

However, families owning more than one property will pay taxes on all the others, even if the total cost of their properties is below the exemption level (LE2 million).

"No law could satisfy everybody. Some benefit more than others, that is quite normal," head of the Real Estate Tax Authority, Tarek Farrag, told Ahram Online.

He added that the sums at stake are low and will not affect the budget of a middle class family.

"Usually those who own more than one home will be renting them out. This way the law will encourage people with non-utilised properties to rent them out, which is good for the market."

The tax imposed on a property worth LE100,000 ($14.000) will be LE126 ($17.7) per year.

"Each family has the right to exempt their most expensive property," said Farrag.

The law defines a family as spouses and their minor children.

The state treasury might pay the tax imposed on a private property if the ratepayer cannot afford it, Finance Minister Hany Kadry Demian said.

Citizens who want to be helped by the treasury should present a request to Real Estate Tax Authority, which will then refer them to a specified committee headed by a State Council (administrative court) judge.

Last month Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified amendments to the property tax law which will go into effect retroactively from July 2013.

The application of the property tax law, promulgated originally in 2008, has been repeatedly postponed and amended over the past years.

The law fixes the tax at 10 percent of the rental value of a dwelling whose monthly rent exceeds LE2,000 per month. From this figure, 30 percent will be deducted to cover maintenance expenses and then LE6,000 exempted.

For example:

Dwelling Value           Annual tax (In LE)

100,000                     126

500,000                     630

1,000,000                   1,260

2,000,000                   2,520

4,000,000                   5,040

6,000,000                   7,560

8,000,000                   10,080

10,000,000                  12,600

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/109755.aspx

This is an absolute disaster for the 50% of the population of Egypt, that live either below or just above the poverty level. It has allowed the rich of that nation to suffer the least, for in the coming year, if you think the power cuts in Luxor were frequent this year, I assure you, this will be nothing for what comes in the future.

The new property tax was to be part of the master plan of new future under Mubarak, at least he had the balls to allow it to be fare to all, as far as I can see, this new tax in its present form, will probably cost more to collect than the whole new property tax grab.

Remember, it was I who informed you first, long before the international press that B.P. had made public that Egypt owed them $5 Billion+, this in itself was a worldwide embarrassment on its self. Things have now changed, Egypt is almost showing itself as the standard Arabic power of survival in the Middle East, and the Gulf States should take heed.

President Sisi should tread very careful, especially when this man believes that true democracy (what ever that means) is at least 25 year in the future, as far as Egypt is concerned.

P.S. - Always read the small print.

Don't understand your point Afour, why is it such a disaster for the poorer Egyptians, it says quite clearly that those who can't afford will be able to apply for help. Such people very rarely have property to rent so the tax on rented property will not apply.
Looking at it, it seems quite fair to me.

What I am trying to say here Carrie is that the tax is not evenly distributed. Those who own property at the high value have the intelligence to find ways around avoiding having to pay, while the middle class would understand that they really MUST contribute to the nation, to help it though it's present day troubles, and those trouble are BIG.

I shall open up a new subject post tomorrow to show what an awful mess Egypt now finds itself in, I hope others will enter into the debate, or perhaps put their heads in the sand, like so any have until now.

@ A-four - I'm voting for you to open the topic. I honestly think it needs discussing. I fully believe many topics pertinent to Egypt need discussing in an open, honest, fact based way with opinions being solicited, expressed and respected.

LovelyLadyLux wrote:@ A-four - I'm voting for you to open the topic. I honestly think it needs discussing. I fully believe many topics pertinent to Egypt need discussing in an open, honest, fact based way with opinions being solicited, expressed and respected.

Are you looking for an invite to a birthday party?

A4's views are always welcome, but if he thinks anyone in this country NEEDS to be "shown" the state of affairs after what has happened today, then he is full of himself.

Sure I'm always up for an invite to anything anytime anywhere for any occasion especially if there is eats! Most times I actually show up too!

On another note - I think most everybody has a sense of what has been happening in Egypt and we don't NEED to be told but I'd welcome a factual presentation with realistic discussion.

OK then, here is a factual representation. Its all gone tits up.

'OK then, here is a factual representation. Its all gone tits up'

Perhaps you should compare and contrast most of the rest of the
Middle East and be grateful that you live in Egypt.

Remus wrote:'OK then, here is a factual representation. Its all gone tits up'

Perhaps you should compare and contrast most of the rest of the
Middle East and be grateful that you live in Egypt.

This is an irrelevant comment, one could say the same about living in Britain as apposed to elsewhere in Europe (faster recovering economy, better employment rates etc).

As pointed out in another thread, other peoples plights does not make yours easier to bare.

If you took this attitude all the time then you are putting forward an argument that no effort or improvements should ever be made, anywhere.

'OK then, here is a factual representation. Its all gone tits up'

@ Dusak - succinct observation Limited use of words, easy to read and 'bout sums it up

I know I'm always more intrigued by the social/cultural aspects of the place however sometimes with the factual info what one is thinking is happening isn't really what is. I'd still be interested in reading what A-four has to say but will keep your input in mind when I do

'This is an irrelevant comment' says Zooropa politely of mine above.

I would suggest that he leaves these sorts of comment to Dusak himself,
a resident - who I guess/hope is not being entirely serious in his summing-up of
Egypt - rather than telling me I am irrelevant from his Leicester eyrie and his couple of
weeks' holiday in Luxor.

Everything in life is relative. This thread is about Egypt, not Europe. I thought he might understand this.