Taxing use of Egypt's beaches stirs wave of controversy
Egypt announced a plan to impose a tax fee on resorts and tourist facilities on public beaches, stirring controversy.
The Egyptian government is mulling over imposing new taxes for the use of beaches on the grounds that they are considered public property and not owned by tourist villages, a matter that has sparked a public row over the legality of such decision, as well as the mechanisms of its implementation.
Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly decided Sept. 4 to form a legal committee to review the possibility and legality of collecting taxes in return for using beaches. The committee is to include Cabinet advisers along with representatives of the Ministry of Local Development, concerned governorates and the Egyptian Tourism Authority.
On Sept. 6, Cabinet spokesman Nader Saad said in an interview with MBC Masr TV that the committee will thoroughly investigate this issue. In case the committee affirmed the state's right to collect a beach tax from resorts and tourist villages, the tax value would be determined in addition to who would pay it. “The entire issue is under review right now,” he said.
Meanwhile, the committee has yet to convene.
