Egypt to Establish Stable Tax System, Clear Investment Incentives

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, Hossam Haiba (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, Hossam Haiba (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Egypt to Establish Stable Tax System, Clear Investment Incentives

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, Hossam Haiba (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly with CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, Hossam Haiba (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Egypt is currently developing several proposals to improve its investment climate, including a stable tax system and clear investment incentives, announced the CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, Hossam Haiba.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Haiba and the accompanying delegation and reviewed some procedures and measures to improve the investment climate in Egypt, including the mechanism for allocating land for investment projects and developing the system for issuing the required licenses.

Haiba asserted that the procedures and measures are essential for marketing and promoting a stable tax system and clear investment incentives, noting that a joint committee was formed from the Investment Authority and the tax and customs authorities for this purpose.

He said they would also address the investors' issues, adding that they must consider some legislative amendments related to the investment climate.

Haiba listed some of the offers the Investment Authority received from companies in several sectors before launching or expanding their activity in Egypt.

He referred to the requests submitted to the authority to establish industrial investment projects, especially in the 10th of Ramadan City, given its distinguished infrastructure and proximity to many ports and roads.

The Prime Minister welcomed any new investments, especially in the industrial sector, pointing out that the state has worked to provide facilities and incentives to attract investments in various sectors during the last period.

Madbouly stated that the 10th of Ramadan City, among other cities, enjoys promising opportunities for industrial investments.

The Premier said that his government is working to simplify investment procedures, especially those related to industrial projects while communicating with the business community and industrialists to overcome any challenges they face in implementing their projects.

Meanwhile, the CEO of the Saudi Egyptian Developers Company, Mohammed el-Taher, revealed that the company achieved sales worth EGP12 billion during the year 2022, despite all the challenges faced by the real estate sector during the past year.

Taher emphasized that these numbers reflect customers' confidence in the company, which has presented more than 50 real estate projects that included 23,764 residential, commercial, and administrative units in various governorates.

Saudi Egyptian Developers is among the top ten companies in sales in 2022.

The CEO added that the company fully trusts the Egyptian market and has expansion plans during the coming period, through which it seeks to provide housing units that meet the requirements of various customers and support the local economy.

The Saudi Egyptian Developers pumped new investments in 2022 amounting to about EGP1.3 billion, and the company is currently working on establishing and developing seven projects that include more than 5,000 residential, administrative, and commercial units.

The company is currently preparing to open the Nile Pearl Hotel.

The Saudi Egyptian Developers Company is an Egyptian joint stock company established in 1975 under an international agreement between the governments of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The company increased its capital more than once and currently reached EGP1.9 billion.



Gold Prices Hold Steady as Investors Await US Fed Policy Cues

A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)
A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)
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Gold Prices Hold Steady as Investors Await US Fed Policy Cues

A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)
A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)

Gold prices remained steady on Wednesday, as investors awaited the US Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates due later in the day, while also focusing on US President Donald Trump's trade policies following his tariff threats.

Spot gold eased 0.2% to $2,758.49 per ounce by 09:55 a.m. ET (1455 GMT), while US gold futures rose 0.3% to $2,775.60, widening the premium over spot gold rates.

The Fed is scheduled to release its latest policy decision and statement at 2 p.m. EST (1900 GMT), with Fed Chair Jerome Powell due to hold a press conference half an hour later to elaborate on the meeting.

The US central bank is widely expected to hold interest rates steady as it awaits further inflation and jobs data and more clarity on the economic impact of Trump's policies before deciding whether to cut borrowing costs again.

"However, the Fed's commentary in regards to the potential for an interest rate cut in the March meeting is going to be in focus," said David Meger, director of metals trading at High Ridge Futures.

Gold prices neared all-time highs last week after Trump called for lower interest rates. Bullion tends to thrive in a low-interest-rate environment as it yields no interest.

Prices, however, retreated sharply on Monday as a sell-off in technology stocks, driven by Chinese AI model DeepSeek, sparked a rush to liquidate bullion to counter losses, according to Reuters.

The sell-off in the stock market seen on Monday may not be over and the unpredictability of Trump's policies is contributing to an increased demand for gold as a safe-haven, said Jim Wyckoff, a senior market analyst at Kitco Metals.

Trump still plans to make good on his promise to issue tariffs on Canada and Mexico, and his policies are widely seen as inflationary.

Elsewhere, spot silver gained 1.7% to $30.92 per ounce, platinum also added 0.5% to $946.45. Palladium was up 0.8% to $962.50.