Members of the Pharmacists Syndicate threatened to go on strike to protest what they describe as an illegal agreement and the "inflexibility of the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Authority." Members of the syndicate say an agreement signed by syndicate Secretary General Mahmoud Abdel Maqsoud, with the finance ministry and Tax Authority, is not legal. The syndicate called on pharmacists throughout Egypt to submit their tax statements in accordance with a 2005 agreement. It warned against any "violations of the moral and financial rights" of its members and said it plans to take legal action against the ministry and the Tax Authority. Meanwhile, amid news that syndicate head Zakaria Gad is in hospital, the syndicate is expected to hold an urgent meeting today to remove Abdel Maqsoud from his position as secretary general. Abdel Maqsoud is accused of "violating" the law and signing an agreement that "jeopardizes the interests of pharmacists." The syndicate said Abdel Maqsoud didn't have the authority to sign an agreement in the absence of the syndicate head, since according to the law only the syndicate deputy has the right to sign an agreement on behalf of the syndicate head. The syndicate said it rejects the new agreement, which requires pharmacists to issue sales receipts and raise their profit margin on cosmetics from 16 percent to 25 percent, and also increases the tax to be paid on cosmetics from 16 to 25 percent. Saif Emam, assistant secretary general at the syndicate, said Abdel Maqsoud took along some "misguided" members from the syndicate branches with him when signing the agreement. He added that the new agreement doesn't serve the interests of pharmacists. Ahmed Rami, a member of the syndicate council, described the agreement as "defective," and said the council might dismiss Abdel Maqsoud. According to Rami, the syndicate sent an official warning to the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Authority informing them that the agreement is void as its signatory lacked the "legal capacity" to sign the agreement. Abdel Maqsoud said in previous statements that he takes the credit for the success of previous strikes against the Tax Authority. He also accused members of the syndicate council of attempting to put the syndicate under the control of members of the Muslim Brotherhood. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
