A protest rally is to start at 12:00 on March, 5 in Brest’s Lenin Square. Belsat TV will be reporting from the scene, live stream will be available on belsat.eu.
Will protests against ‘parasite’ law be used for unfolding Crimean scenario in Belarus? (ENG subtitles)
Decree Nr 3 signed by president Alyaksandr Lukashenka in April, 2015 established the obligation of the citizens of Belarus, foreign citizens permanently residing in Belarus, stateless persons, who did not participate in the financing of public spending or participated in such financing less than 183 days (six months – ed.) in the past year, to pay a fee of 20 basic units (appr. $230).
In late February, protests were held in a number of Belarusian cities and towns. The most sizable action took place in Homiel where 3,000 – 4,000 persons gathered. This time, the Belarusian government opted not to break up the protests that later spread from Minsk to other towns. Interestingly, after the protests Alyaksandr Lukashenka left for Russia’s Sochi.
Lukashenka leaves for Sochi after street protests in Belarus (English subtitles)
February 20 was the latest date for paying the so-called tax on parasitism. 51,600 Belarusians complied with the demand. In total, about 470,000 received tax office letters. Therefore, every 9th ‘idler’ paid the tax. The state budget has received 15.6 mln Belarusian rubles from them.
