Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi visited the coastal city of Salloum on Wednesday to launch a development plan in one of the country’s least developed regions.
Mr El Sisi met Bedouin residents in the city in Matruh province before reassuring an increasingly impoverished population that the country would “make it through this economic challenge”.
Under the plans, a desalination plant in the city will increase capacity to provide more water to residents, most of whom are low-income Bedouin, a Matruh governor statement said.
A minibus terminal will be built in the city, which lies on Egypt’s border with Libya, to boost transport links.
A large market will also be set up in Salloum, which though sparsely populated is one of the main trading centres for the Bedouin tribes who inhabit Egypt’s Western Desert.
A “civilised market” will be set up to replace the city’s informal ones, the Housing Ministry said.
The main hospital will also be developed under the plan and Salloum's road network will be upgraded.
During live TV coverage of the visit, Mr El Sisi asked leaders of Bedouin tribes that they allow the state to organise them “according to your own customs".
Egypt’s Bedouin are culturally distinct from the rest of the country and, due to their semi-nomadic existence, do not interact much with settled communities.
Issuing national ID cards to the Bedouin has been an agenda of many presidential campaigns, the latest of which took place in April. Such campaigns are widely met with refusal from the Bedouin, many of whom are adamant to preserve their way of life.
Bedouin gathered outside a police station last month in Marsa Matruh, the largest in Matruh, after one of their own was shot dead by a police officer after he ran through a security checkpoint.
A police officer was killed in subsequent riots.
The officer who shot the man and five rioters were referred to a criminal court by the country’s prosecutor-general.
Egypt’s Mediterranean coast has been undergoing a wave of property development, an important part of the construction projects under Mr El Sisi.
“We want to install all the cities along the north coast, whether it is Alamein or Ras Al Hikma, with schools and hospitals,” the President told the Bedouin congregation on Wednesday.
Mr El Sisi and his family spent time in New Alamein, an upmarket development on Egypt’s north coast, this month, where he received several visitors including President Sheikh Mohamed and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How Beautiful this world is!
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
