When Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko imposed a “social parasite” tax in 2015, he assumed — in normal populist dictatorial fashion — that a $245 fine on those who worked for less than six months a year would be a popular move.
What he didn’t expect was that ordinary citizens would, instead, show solidarity with the roughly half a million people affected and take to the streets in rare public protests.
The fines are intended to cover their recipients’ contributions to the welfare state. But only about one in 10 of those charged paid up. Those that did were often forced to borrow …read more
Source: European Voice
