Government Denies Plans to Impose New Tax on Natural Gas Consumptio

Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk said on Tuesday that the government has no plans to impose an additional tax on natural gas consumption by households or factories, , dismissing reports circulating on this score.

Speaking during a meeting of parliament's Budget and Planning Committee, Kouchouk said proposed amendments to the Value Added Tax (VAT) law do not include any new tax burdens on citizens related to natural gas consumption.

The minister said the legislation applies to companies purchasing and supplying natural gas, which are responsible for remitting the relevant taxes to the Finance Ministry, rather than to end consumers.

The minister’s remarks came after lawmakers raised questions about reports suggesting the government was considering imposing an additional tax on natural gas used by households and industrial facilities.

Mohamed Soliman, chairman of the parliamentary Budget and Planning Committee, also stressed that there would be no increase in household natural gas prices and no tax on natural gas consumption by either households or factories.

He added that the VAT law targets suppliers rather than consumers and reiterated that both the government and parliament remain committed to protecting citizens from additional tax burdens.