Out of the Ministry of Finance's keenness to provide high-quality electronic payment and collection system, the ministry formed technical teams to check on the performance of the e-payment system nationwide, and to overcome any obstacles facing citizens in this matter. According to the ministry's Monday statement, those technical teams visited the governorates of South Sinai and Gharbeya and reassured the efficiency of e-payment and collection machines. The ministry stressed that it would redistribute additional e-payment machines at any administrative body and other entities that may need the service in order to preserve the public money. Emad Abdullah Awwad, Head of Accounts and Finance Department at the Ministry of Finance, said the government payments can be collected from more than one bank card. He explained that citizens can pay for services whose fees exceed EGP 500 electronically, and in case of cash payments, a 5% additional fee is added. He noted that citizens who could not pay for government services electronically due to a technical failure in e-payment system, will not bear additional fees. Awaad pointed out that citizens may recover the amount deducted from their bank card, whether by mistake or because the service was not completed, by using the same card on the same day or before the end of the collectors' shift. If this fails, the citizen can visit the bank, provide a statement on the deducted amount, and submit it to the accounting unit of the administrative body for recovery. He added that government services that cost less than EGP 500 can be paid by in cash or electronically, noting that Meeza cards – a national e-payment card – are available free of charge at the National Bank of Egypt, Banque Misr, Banque du Caire, the Commercial International Bank – Egypt, and the Agricultural Bank of Egypt. Awaad noted that if the amount paid exceeds EGP 8,000, the citizen can obtain a "supply order" from the related administrative authority, then go to any post office or bank to provide government payment services and complete the payment process.
