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SCAF has not raised Egypt's foreign debt ceiling, so far: Official The IMF may yet ink a $3 billion loan deal with Egypt despite disagreements between the country's military and finance and planning ministries over foreign borrowing, an insider tells Ahram Online Salma Hussein, Thursday 27 Oct 2011 The current visit of an IMF delegation to Cairo could end up yielding a loan agreement, a finance ministry official has told Ahram Online on condition of anonymity.

"86 percent was used to pay for previously accumulated debt"

Egypt's Revolution has cost the country, up to September, US$9.79 billion, according to a report issued by consultancy group Geopolicity. Titled "The cost of the Arab spring & Roadmap for G20/UN support", the report shows results of a costing exercise undertaken by Geopolicity, based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It accounts for the impact of productivity losses on GDP and public finance, but excludes losses to human life, infrastructure damage and business and foreign direct investment losses. The near 10 billion dollars shed by Egypt are divided among the $4.27 billion cost to GDP and $5.52 billion in lost public finances.

Tunisia urgently needs to marshal all of its financial resources to meet immediate needs, including extreme poverty, benefits for the unemployed, improving workers' material conditions, etc. Meanwhile, we're getting reports of foreign initiatives to develop an emergency "aid" package for Tunisia, including 17 million euros from the European Commission and 350,000 euros from the French state.

The interest that Egypt pays on its foreign loans is larger than its budget for education, healthcare, and housing combined, accounting for 22% of government expenditures. For the sake of Egyptians and people living under tyranny everywhere, Egypt's government must take a brave stand by voiding these debts as

"must register and consolidate their victories in the institutions of that state"

A glance at Egypt's public finances reveals a disturbing fact: the interest that the country pays on its foreign loans is larger than its budget for education, healthcare, and housing combined. Indeed, these debt-service costs alone account for 22 percent of the Egyptian government's total expenditures.

On 31 October, a group of researchers, activists and civil society organizations will launch the Egyptian Debt Audit and Cancellation Campaign in coordination with international actions in Europe and Latin America. The main goal of the campaign is to audit and cancel Egypt's foreign debt that was accumulated under ousted President Hosni Mubarak.