Egyptian court rejects a bid to end steel, iron billets tariffs

An Egyptian administrative court has rejected a petition submitted by the Chamber of Metallurgical Industries to cut import tariffs imposed on steel rebar and iron billets for three year.

The Supreme Administrative Court had previously rejected a bid to slash the duties in October 2019, overruling an administrative court that had accepted the chamber’s bid earlier that year.

This is the second legal challenge mounted by small-scale rolling mills, which have threatened to shutter production, arguing that the Trade Ministry’s 25 percent duty on steel rebar and 16 percent tariff on iron billets hampers their competitiveness.

Chamber of Metallurgical Industries is set to hold an emergency summit to discuss the latest decision.

The Trade Ministry postponed in April cutting import tariffs imposed on steel rebar and iron billets for a six-month period.

In 2019, the country’s ministry of trade and industry issued a decision to temporarily impose a new 16 percent fee on iron billets and a 25 percent fees steel rebars.