Crackdown on Tax Agents
Syria's finance ministry announced on 21 May 2026 the cancellation of licenses held by transaction brokers and licensed accountants found to be involved in corruption. Those affected are also barred from entering ministry offices, a step presented as part of a wider drive to restore confidence in the tax system.
Anyone implicated in corrupt practices faces a ban from professional practice of five to ten years. The finance minister cast the enforcement action as a precondition for the tax overhaul that accompanies it.
Higher Levies on Select Goods
The package raises consumption levies on specific categories of goods. Tobacco products move to 20 percent, up from roughly 5 percent, while marble, stone, and cement rise to 15 percent — a steep jump for cement, previously taxed at 0.5 percent. Cosmetics and perfumes are set at 10 percent and silver jewelry at 5 percent.
A new consumption spending fee takes effect in June 2026 and runs through the end of the year. It then transitions into a sales tax, with food, medicine, education, and basic necessities exempt at a zero rate.
Relief for Wage Earners
Annual income below 640,000 Syrian pounds (SYP) is exempt from income tax, a threshold described as leaving more than 90 percent of employees outside the tax net. Top earners face rates of 2.5 to 5 percent, down from 15 percent under the previous system, and the maximum business tax rate is capped at 15 percent.
Tax revenue currently equals about 3.5 percent of gross domestic product. The stated aim is to raise collection efficiency rather than to add new taxes.
Incentives for Compliant Firms
Industrial enterprises may qualify for reductions of two to four tax brackets, which could lower effective rates to 9 or 10 percent. A golden list of compliant traders will be exempt from advance tax payments.
Taken together, the measures pair enforcement against fraud with incentives meant to draw more businesses into formal registration as the government reworks its public finances.