17 - 23 January 2002
Issue No.569
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 17 - 23 January 2002 Issue No.569 |
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The ones on our backs
An acquaintance of mine phoned from abroad to ask: "What shall I do when I get back to Egypt?" The question surprised me. "Clothes," he explained. "The new tariff stipulates that I have the right to enter the country with only six items of clothing: two pairs of underwear, two shirts, one suit and one coat. All the rest will cost many times its price under the new tariff." I thought nothing of it: many Egyptians, I told him, have been forced to leave their purchases at the airport since the introduction of the tariff in question. "But that's exactly what I mean," he retorted. "What about clothes I took with me here when I left the country? Will they confiscate my time-honoured underwear?"
How will this aspect of the issue be regulated? he went on to ask. What criteria and rules will be employed by customs officers? What about people who travel ten times a year?
My acquaintance's questions are more than valid; they underline the many problems inherent in the introduction of the baffling new tariff. Will customs officers draw up lists of clothing for every Egyptian leaving the country to ensure this person will not be taxed on items not bought abroad on his or her return? I am as spellbound now as I was when my acquaintance asked this question. I could only respond, in fact, by bursting into laughter. For the absurd scenarios these questions suggest are suitable for the plot of a truly hilarious film.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is co-editor in chief of Al-Wafd newspaper.
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