With little official communication about the government’s proposed tax reforms and no public discussions with civil society or concerned professionals, confusion and misinformation about the proposed tax law have run rampant. In an attempt to clarify the debate, we have examined the six proposed tax reforms pertinent to the real estate sector and their possible implications for the industry. There are two findings: The majority of the proposed taxes are fair and are commonly applied in most developed countries. However, in Lebanon, burdening a stagnating sector with new taxes could risk its collapse. Taxing sales contracts The new law proposes a 2 percent tax on the value of any sales contract, whether it is signed privately between the seller and the buyer, or in front of a public notary. Payment is due within five days of the signature of the contract. The proposed law allows for this tax to be