Ashraf Abdel Ghani, tax accountant and founder of the
association, explained that the Customs Authority and the National
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority introduced new import controls at the
beginning of the year. These include a customs tax of up to 38.5%, while
exempting one device for personal use and those valued at less than EGP 15,000.
Abdel Ghani stated that the measure aims to localize mobile
phone manufacturing, curb smuggling, protect consumers from counterfeit and
non-compliant devices, and safeguard public revenues.
He noted that local factories currently meet 80% of Egypt’s
mobile phone market demand. The new policy supports the expansion of local
production capacity and is expected to attract global manufacturers to
establish new facilities in Egypt, thereby creating job opportunities and
reducing reliance on foreign currency for imports.
Abdel Ghani added that the mobile market experienced some
disruption after approximately 60,000 devices were suspended pending
verification of their exemption eligibility. Around 47,000 were reactivated
after validation, while about 13,000 were found to be involved in fraudulent
practices.
The association’s founder emphasized that such disruption is
expected during the early stages of implementation, particularly in light of
attempts by smuggling networks to circumvent the system. He also confirmed that
over 650,000 devices have been granted exemptions since the beginning of the
year.
He called for allowing a second personal-use exemption every three years, citing the rapid pace of mobile technology evolution and the essential role of mobile phones in daily life, work, education, and social interaction.