(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) The Administrative Court of the State Council has given permission to lawyer Mohammad Amin to appear before the Supreme Constitutional Court to challenge the constitutionality of Property Tax Law No. 196 issued in 2008.
According to Amin, the law violates five articles of the Egyptian Constitution, concerning the protection of private property of citizens and the protection of housing.
Amin told Daily News Egypt that the administrative court ruled on January 26 to allow him to challenge the law before the Supreme Constitutional Court within three months of the date of their ruling.
Amin is now preparing to submit his motion to the Constitutional Court in March.
Meanwhile, the administrative court scheduled a hearing for 2 May to determine whether or not to suspend this law on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.
"If the law is suspended and found to be unconstitutional, it will assist many economic sectors whose branches are taxed exceedingly, especially banks," Amin said.
He explained that each bank pays approximately EGP 86,000 annually at each of its branch headquarters that are valued at over $15m. Therefore, banks that own hundreds of branches pay an excessive tax.
Moreover, factories established on areas exceeding 1m sqm pay an annual tax of EGP 245,000. Most Egyptian businessmen own factories and installations of that size or larger.
On February 28, 2010 Mohammed Amin submitted a lawsuit to the Administrative Court of the State Council to challenge the Property Tax Law issued by the former finance minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali, in 2008.
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