Egypt - Ahmed Kouchouk, the Minister of Finance, has issued a decree establishing a central unit to facilitate customs and tax procedures for entities and companies operating in the automotive industry. This central unit will report directly to the Minister of Finance, with the Secretary-General of the Fund for Financing Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Manufacturing overseeing its technical and administrative operations.

The unit is tasked with simplifying and accelerating customs and tax procedures for companies involved in vehicle manufacturing, including assembly companies, component suppliers, and other entities participating in the National Program for Automotive Industry Development. This applies to activities at customs ports as well as tax centers and offices. The unit is also responsible for overcoming obstacles and resolving customs and tax issues that these entities may encounter.

The unit’s mandate includes standardizing the application of customs and tax rules and procedures for companies enrolled in the National Program for Automotive Industry Development, ensuring consistency in similar cases, and monitoring their implementation at relevant ports, centers, and tax offices.

The decree further states that the unit will develop solutions for issues and challenges faced by the automotive industry during customs and tax procedures. These solutions will be implemented uniformly and promptly, covering both imports and exports, including matters related to classification, valuation, and tax accounting. Additionally, the unit will prepare statistical reports on the customs and tax transactions of companies in the automotive sector.

The unit will consist of representatives from the Customs and Tax Authorities, including Hala Mahmoud Abdel Wahid, Advisor to the Head of Customs for Cargo Village; Ahmed Abdel Aziz El-Qarnashawy, Head of the Central Administration of Alexandria Customs; Samar Ahmed Mahmoud, Director of the Research and Studies Department at Customs; Sherif Abdel Hamid Mohamed, Customs Manager; Mohamed Abdel Moneim Keshk, Assistant to the Head of the Egyptian Tax Authority; Andre Kamal Isaac, General Manager of Internal Support at the Central Administration for Technological Transactions; Salah Ismail Arad El-Sayed, Director of Agreements Management for Electronic Transactions; and Rasha El-Sayed Ahmed Shabana, Director of Invoice Support Management for Electronic Transactions.

The decree also allows the unit to seek assistance from other experts as needed to fulfill its duties. The heads of the Customs and Tax Authorities are required to promptly implement the unit’s recommendations to resolve issues and overcome challenges identified during its operations.

The Secretary-General of the Fund for Financing Environmentally Friendly Vehicle Manufacturing will submit a monthly report to the Minister of Finance, detailing the unit’s achievements, actions taken to resolve issues, and the obstacles overcome in assisting companies in the automotive industry.

The decree emphasizes the importance of cooperation and coordination between customs ports, tax centers, tax offices, and other sectors and entities under the Ministry of Finance with the unit in carrying out its responsibilities. All requested data must be provided to support the unit’s work.

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