Implementation Rules Take Force
Syria's Finance Minister Muhammad Yasir Barniyah issued executive instructions on May 4, 2026 for Presidential Decree No. 69 of 2026, which grants tax and fee exemptions and incentives to commercial, industrial, and tourism enterprises that sustained damage. The implementation guidance attached to the decree lays out the procedures and steps business owners must follow to claim relief.
Three Sectors, Many Governorates
The decree explicitly covers three sectors: commercial, industrial, and tourism enterprises. The relief comes in two forms, exemptions from taxes and government fees, and additional incentives for damaged businesses.
More than 30,000 establishments are expected to benefit. The largest concentrations of eligible businesses are in Aleppo and Rural Damascus, with additional enterprises spread across the rest of the country's governorates.
Tiered by Damage
The waivers are not uniform. They are calibrated to the level of damage each enterprise sustained, with relief granted in graduated percentages aligned to documented harm rather than a flat write-off.
Specialized committees, formed under the decree, evaluate individual establishments and certify their damage rates. Those assessments determine the exemption tier each business receives under the executive instructions issued on May 4.
Origin and Timeline
President Ahmad al-Sharaa originally issued Decree 69 of 2026 on March 20, 2026. The text both established the damage-assessment committees and authorized graduated tax and fee exemptions for the three covered sectors.
The interval between the decree's signature and the executive instructions ran roughly six weeks. The relief mechanisms apply to damages reported from 2026 onward.
Restart and Hiring Aim
The stated objective is to help business owners resume operations and create new employment opportunities. By easing fixed fiscal liabilities for enterprises whose operating capacity was impaired, the framework is intended to lower the cost of returning commercial, industrial, and tourism activity to active status.