Real Estate Tax Workers Take Part in Sit-in at Daqahlia

Real estate tax workers of Daqahlia took part in an open sit-in at the main tax offices in the different centers on Sunday, September 28.  This came after a failure in negotiations between the Union Committee and Daqahlia Governor on the one hand, and the Ministry of Finance and the Real Estate Tax Authority on the other.

The Union Committee for workers in the Real Estate Tax had issued a statement on Saturday, September 27, which ikhwan on-line received a copy of, asking the workers to their their iftar and suhur meals with them to the offices” headquarters for an open sit-in that would continue until the Director of the Real Estate Tax Authority responds to the governor’s orders and meets workers” demands. The Daqahlia Governor had issued an order to the Authority”s Director to pay his staff their dues and to fulfill the promises of the Minister of Finance given during the last Real Estate Tax sit-in which took place in December 2007.

This sit-in came at the same time when the Union Committee”s Head Makram Labib had stressed that more than 4000 officers at Daqahlia had not received their financial dues for the months of May, June, July and August. According to the first item under article 5, these workers have the right to take 50% of their salary for the month of June every year in addition to a bonus for workers in municipalities which has increased from 25% to 75% since May 1, 2008 until the workers are transferred to the Ministry of Finance so that they can be equal to their peers in the Ministry.

However, the Real Estate Tax Directorate of Daqahlia refused to pay any of the dues, alleging the lack of budget resources which led to the workers threat to organize a sit-in on July 5, 2008. But the Governor of Daqahlia Samir Sallam managed to negotiate with them and agreed to pay their dues. This, in turn, led to a conflict between the Real Estate Tax Authority of the governorate and the Governor as the Authority insisted on its stand and refused to execute the Governor”s orders.

It is mentioned that the Real Estate Tax offices at Cairo, Bani Suev, Menia and Suhag decided to organize a similar sit-in until the Minister fulfills his former promises.