Sources from within the Egyptian Tax Authority ruled out the possibility of cancelling its recent decision to fine overloads and increase taxes on heavy-duty tractors.
The sources said the new instructions are binding for truckers, adding that the Ministry of Finance previously anticipated that crisis would follow the move. They said that drivers will be charged on the basis of their daily revenue and net profit.
Meanwhile, heavy-duty truckers continued striking for the third consecutive day. They protested the new decision to raise taxes on drivers, reduce the four-year grace period for trailers to two years, and ban truck drivers from using highways on Thursdays and Fridays.
The strike led to a drop in cement and steel sales by 20-60 percent over Friday and Saturday. A statement by the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) noted that the average daily sale rate before the strike stood at 120,000 tons of cement and 20,000 tons of steel. The head of the FEI’s construction sector, Ahmed al-Zeiny, blamed the crisis on the 50 percent truckers’ tax increase. He added that the drivers were expecting additional benefits and incentives but were surprised by extra fees and taxes.
Official numbers claim that the number of trailers nation-wide ranges between 40,000 and 60,000, concentrated mainly in Beheira, Gharibya, and Damietta.
Mohamed Hefney, head of FEI’s metallurgical industries department, said the strike will impact factories all over the republic, especially in metallurgical industries that depend on enormous trucks for transportation. He added that following the strike, some basic commodities prices will surge temporarily.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
