Hello!
In 1986, the millieme lost its legal status as a subunit of the Egyptian pound. Since we have a division in 1916 here in Numista, when the millieme started, I think the same should go to when it was abolished. Or, at least, we should add something like 1 pound = 100 piastres = 1,000 milliemes (1916-1986) - 1 pound = 100 piastres (1986-date).
https://mksegypt.org/ar/judgments-of-the-supreme-administrative-court/5453 (You can use Google to translate it)
This judicial ruling addresses the financial transition and the exact legal expiration of the millieme following Monetary System Law No. 94 of 1983 and Ministerial Decree No. 178 of 1984:
1. The Core Dispute
The lawsuit was filed by the Director of the Chamber of the Cinema Industry against the Ministry of Finance and the Tax Authority. The state was demanding that movie theaters pay a specific entertainment tax (the Cinema Support Fund levy) at a rate of 1 piastre (qirsh) instead of the traditional 5 milliemes. Furthermore, the government attempted to retroactively collect the financial difference dating back to July 1, 1986.
2. The Rounding Law (Law No. 94 of 1983)
The court reviewed Law No. 94 of 1983 concerning the Monetary System of Egypt, which established that the national currency unit is the Egyptian pound, divided strictly into 100 piastras. The law mandated that since smaller metallic fractions were being phased out, any statutory fee or tax valued at 5 milliemes or more had to be legally rounded up to 1 piastre in all active state regulations. Therefore, the court ruled that the tax increase from 5 milliemes to 1 piastre was entirely lawful.
3. The Grace Period of Decree No. 178 of 1984
The legal battle centered around the precise expiration date of the transitional period [MKS Egypt]:
- The Minister of Finance, through Decree No. 178 of 1984, intended to withdraw all 1, 5, and 10 millieme coins from circulation over a two-year grace period starting July 1, 1984, aiming to strip them of legal tender status by June 30, 1986.
- However, the Supreme Administrative Court noted a critical procedural delay: the Minister's decree was not officially published in the Egyptian Official Gazette (Al-Waqae Al-Misriyya, Issue No. 188) until August 15, 1984 [MKS Egypt].
4. The Final Verdict: August 16, 1986
The Court ruled that based on constitutional principles, executive decrees cannot be applied retroactively to shortchange citizens or businesses before they are made public. Consequently, the court determined that the mandatory two-year withdrawal period did not begin in July 1984, but rather on the day following the Official Gazette publication [MKS Egypt]. Thus, the Supreme Court officially established that the millieme permanently lost its legal tender status, debt-clearing power, and status as an active subunit on August 16, 1986. The state was ordered to cancel the retroactive tax collection forced upon the theaters during that disputed summer month of 1986.
(Sorry for the boring explanation 😅)
