Egyptians who work abroad criticized the government and the parliament after the latter agreed in principle late last month to a draft law that would raise the annual fees imposed on Egyptians wanting to work abroad. Under the new regulations, annual fees to work abroad would go from 60 Egyptian pounds ($6.75) to 200 Egyptian pounds ($22.50) for those with higher degrees, and from 60 pounds to 100 pounds for those without higher degrees.

Parliament’s Defense and National Security Committee’s report argued, “The proposed amendment comes in … light of the increase in foreign exchange rate and the devaluation of the local currency. The applicable increase of the bylaw was very balanced and does not affect those with limited income, noting that the fees have remained unchanged for 20 years.”

However, Egyptians working abroad were not satisfied. Egyptian expatriate associations made some angry statements concerning the bill. A large number of Egyptians working abroad shared on social media the statement by parliament member Fayez Abu Khadra, a member of the parliament's Manpower Committee, in which he said, “This is quite normal. An expatriate should contribute to the economy of his nation. I would hope for the tax to be even more than that. They make a lot of money abroad.” His statements were followed by a livid response from many expatriates.

Things did not end there. Rumors spread among Egyptians working abroad that the government intends to impose a $100 fee to be collected at the airport once they return, or to impose taxes on remittances sent home. The rumor was, in fact, merely a suggestion made on a TV show intended to help plug the budget gap. However, the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) released a statement clarifying that the aforementioned information is just a rumor.