Egypt's Parliament is Going Paperless
Apparently, there's a monopoly over ink production in Egypt.
Egypt’s Parliament will go paperless as they are cutting costs in a broader effort to revive the economy, according to state-run Middle East News Agency.
Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal thinks the transition should be smooth. “I belong to the generation of the chalk and blackboard, but I still use electronic gadgets” adding that “most members of parliament have higher degrees” and are that they are able to work with tablets.
Ali Abdel-Aal explained the situation, saying that one company “monopolizes the markets for inks used in printing”, and that the government could not afford the high costs anymore. It has not been mentioned which company he’s talking about, how much the legislature actually pays for ink or paper, or how much going paperless would actually save. It's important to add that this is an environmentally-responsible move, as paper has a huge impact on our carbon footprint.
The move to paperless is just one of the ways Egyptian officials are cutting costs; last month, the fuel hike was announced, and it’s expected to drastically cut the state’s fuel subsidy bill from EGP 140 billion to EGP 89 billion.
Main image from Pays Marennes Oleron