Finance Ministry targets to finish 75,000 disputes by applying arbitration law

The Ministry of Finance targets to resolve 75,000 disputes at a value of EGP 15bn to EGP 20bn through the application of the arbitration law, which was passed in September.
Sources told Daily News Egypt that 25 tax committees were formed for public tax disputes and taxes on sales. Each committee reviews 3,000 files.
The total number of tax disputes before different parties of litigation, appeal committees, internal committees, and courts amounts to 160,000 disputes worth EGP 60bn.
The committees are formed to end disputes through an experienced member outside the Tax Authority, a representative from the State’s Council, and another from the Tax Authority.
The law allows for solving the existing tax disputes that arise before all courts on different levels, appeal committees, tax and conciliation committees and commissions of grievances, between the authority and financiers or the officials, no matter what the state of the case or appeal is.
The sources added that the minimum for each committee is 100 files a month, and meetings will be held on a monthly basis to follow up with the committees through the supreme committee for resolving disputes, headed by deputy minister of finance.
The sources mentioned submission rates for arbitration since the law was passed and is still relatively weak, because many tax authorities didn’t know about it—periodical awareness meetings were held with regional authorities.
The sources added that the Ministry of Finance is working on completing a simplified guide to resolve points of contention in terms of disputes between the authority and the financiers in consultation with the major accounting firms.
Sources expected the completion of this guide within 10 days maximum in order to be distributed on the committees to resolve disputes.
“The committees will officially begin its work on Sunday,” the sources said.