Recently, Egypt's parliament passed a constitutional amendment that requires individuals leaving the country to pay an exit fee of 100 Egyptian pounds ($3.23). However, foreign tourists departing from certain governorates, including the Red Sea, South Sinai, Luxor, Aswan, and Matruh, will pay a reduced fee of 50 pounds ($1.62). Parliamentarians believe this fee will help generate revenue for the state when Egypt faces significant financial challenges.
But opponents say the fee will punish Egyptians, who have already seen their quality of life decline significantly amid the economic doldrums. It will also discourage big-spending tourists from visiting the country.
The approval of the new legislation comes as news emerged that Egypt is struggling to repay foreign debtors, with the state scrambling to find resources to meet its foreign borrowing, which has quadrupled over the past eight years.
The Egyptian government has said it will meet its debt repayments. Still, some analysts see measures such as the exit fee as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's attempt to avoid the Egyptian economy's major restructuring that the IMF and many critics say needs to occur.
Egypt's constitution amendment announcement revealed additional measures to improve the country's financial situation. These measures involve taxes on non-essential products and admission fees to entertainment venues.
