Withholding tax (WHT) is a tax that is deducted directly from your investment returns by the bank or financial institution before the money is credited to your account. You never see the gross return — you only receive the net amount after tax. This is different from filing an income tax return: WHT is collected automatically, and in most cases, it is a final tax (no further filing required).
In Egypt, WHT rates on investment income vary by product type. Understanding the after-WHT (net) return is critical for fair comparison: two products advertising similar headline rates can pay you very different amounts once tax is applied.