Egypt's government has strengthened sanctions against fraudulent trading practices by setting limits of fines as not less than LE10,000 and not above LE200,000.

Amendments also stipulate that merchants are obliged to hand a "bill" to consumers detailing the transaction with the date and the price of the product, in a market were at least half the transactions are on an informal basis.

Amending some provisions of Law No. 55 of 1951 and some provisions of Law No. 48 of 1941 concerning inhibition of fraud and cheating are "to grant great protection for consumers and enable the concerned authorities control of the market," according to a press release issued Sunday evening by the Cabinet.

The amendments still need to be approved by parliament.

A new law of trade has been under consideration since 2004 to replace a multitude of out-dated regulations.