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NEOM Announces ‘Epicon’ Luxury Coastal Tourism Destination on Gulf of Aqaba

Located on the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon aims to set a new standard of hospitality and architecture. (SPA)
Located on the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon aims to set a new standard of hospitality and architecture. (SPA)
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NEOM Announces ‘Epicon’ Luxury Coastal Tourism Destination on Gulf of Aqaba

Located on the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon aims to set a new standard of hospitality and architecture. (SPA)
Located on the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon aims to set a new standard of hospitality and architecture. (SPA)

The Board of Directors of NEOM, the sustainable regional development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia, announced on Wednesday Epicon, its latest luxury coastal tourism destination, including a residential offering.

Located on the Gulf of Aqaba, Epicon aims to set a new standard of hospitality and architecture. Rising from NEOM’s desert landscape like a glistening mirage, the property will feature two striking towers, one 225 meters tall and one reaching 275 meters.

The towers will be home to an ultra-premium 41 key hotel and luxury residences comprised of 14 suites and apartments. A short distance from the hotel is the Epicon resort, which blends tranquility with indulgence and features 120 rooms and 45 stunning residential beach villas.

Designed as a gateway to the future, Epicon provides an opportunity to escape the stresses of everyday life. Whether relaxing at the beach club, visiting the spa for bespoke wellness treatments, exploring the surrounding nature, participating in one of the many watersports on offer, or dining at destination restaurants for an unforgettable culinary experience, Epicon has been conceived to meet the full array of guest and resident needs.

A highly attractive visitor destination and an optimum place to live and thrive, Epicon’s guests and residents can expect a truly immersive and life-affirming experience. The luxurious residences and beach villas aim to deliver new levels of livability through cutting-edge innovations, world-class services and first-class experiences, positioning the resort as a benchmark for iconic living.

Guests and residents of Epicon will enjoy unrestricted access to world-class facilities, complemented by views of one of the most desirable shorelines in NEOM. Amenities include a state-of-the-art gym, library, workspaces, pools and lounges.

News of Epicon follows the recent announcement of Leyja, NEOM’s sustainable tourism destination set within a magnificent natural valley. The extensive range of experiences and activities offered in Epicon and Leyja will strengthen and enrich the NEOM ecotourism offering, aligned with the broader objectives of the Kingdom.

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Trump Says He Will End All Taxes on Overtime if Elected 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump motions while attending the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump motions while attending the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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Trump Says He Will End All Taxes on Overtime if Elected 

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump motions while attending the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump motions while attending the 9/11 Memorial ceremony on the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in New York. (AP)

Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will end all taxes on overtime pay as part of a wider tax cut package, if he is elected in the Nov. 5 election.

"As part of our additional tax cuts, we will end all taxes on overtime," Trump said in remarks at a rally in Tucson, Arizona. "Your overtime hours will be tax-free."

Trump, who faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in what polls show to be a tight race, has previously said he would seek legislation to end the taxation of tips to aid service workers. Harris has made a similar pledge.

"He is desperate and scrambling and saying whatever it takes to try to trick people into voting for him," a Harris campaign spokesperson said in response to Trump's proposal on Thursday.

At a campaign event this month with union workers, Harris accused Trump of "blocking" overtime from millions of workers during his 2017-2021 presidency.

In 2019, the Trump administration issued a rule increasing the eligibility of overtime pay to 1.3 million additional US workers, replacing a more generous proposal that had been introduced by President Barack Obama, Trump's Democratic predecessor.

The Trump administration raised the salary level for exemption from overtime pay to $35,568 a year, up from the long-standing $23,660 threshold. Workers’ rights groups criticized the move, saying it covered far fewer workers than the scheme introduced under Obama.

Under Obama, the Labor Department proposed raising the threshold to more than $47,000, which would have made nearly 5 million more workers eligible for overtime. That rule was later struck down in court.

Overtime pay at these income levels overwhelmingly benefits blue-collar workers, such as fast-food workers, nurses, store assistants and other low-income employees.

"The people who work overtime are among the hardest working citizens in our country and for too long no one in Washington has been looking out for them," Trump said on Thursday.

Under Labor Department rules, eligible workers must be paid at least time-and-a-half for hours worked above 40 hours in a single work week.

As of last month, American factory workers in non-supervisory roles put in an average of 3.7 hours of overtime a week, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

Not taxing overtime would result in less government revenue, at a time when Trump's plan to permanently extend the tax cuts he passed as president would expand the US deficit by $3.5 trillion through 2033, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. The US budget deficit in the first 11 months of this fiscal year is $1.9 trillion.

It's unclear how much revenue the government receives from taxes on overtime pay.

Trump's proposal would be a first for the federal government. Alabama this year became the first state to exclude overtime wages for hourly workers from state taxes as a temporary measure that won legislative support in part to help employers fill jobs in a tight labor market. The exemption is for 18 months only.