§ 80. Mr. Turtonasked the Lord Privy Seal in how many cases claimants in respect of sequestered property in Egypt have been refused payment on the ground that tax clearance certificates, that were valid at the date of the claim, are now invalid; and whether he will make representations on this subject to the Egyptian Exchange Control.
§ Mr. P. ThomasIn four cases known to us tax clearance certificates were valid at the time when an application for the transfer of funds under Article V of the Anglo-United Arab Republic Financial Agreement was submitted to the Egyptian Exchange Control authorities on behalf of a British subject, but ceased to be valid before approval for the transfer was given. In addition, two cases are known to us in which the application for a transfer was submitted with a 61W tax clearance certificate which was already out of date at the time of the submission.
Tax clearance certificates of the United Arab Republic are valid for only six months. Her Majesty's Embassy in Cairo has been informed that, if the validity of a tax clearance certificate expires before the Exchange Control's authority for the transfer of the funds is given, the agent in Egypt of the British subjects concerned should be able to obtain a new certificate.
The Embassy is carefully watching all these cases, and will make appropriate representations to the Egyptian authorities whenever they have been shown to be at fault.