Protests in Belarus

[andresem]

Starting from February 20 in different cities of Belarus there is a protest against the tax from the unemployed
If a person does not work for 6 months he must pay a tax of 360BYR (~ $150)

Protest occurs in such cities as Minsk, Brest, Homel, Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Grodno etc.

Number of protesters retail
In some cities hundreds of people protest in others may be several thousand








What do you think of this?

[Sithara007]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

[Mometaskers]

Wait, if you didn't work for 6 months, how are going to pay that tax? Does Belarus subsidize unemployed people? I just find that surprising, being that I've been unemployed for sometime and got nothing from our government. Wow, seems socialism really took off in Europe. There are plenty of countries where citizens don't even have a safety net. If what they are worrying about is that people would live off welfare, why not just cut off the subsidies after a certain number of months?

[mindrust]

Turkey also has a similar law. If you don't have a job, you have to pay a monthly fee based on your parents income. (they don't care how old you are btw) In return, you will have the right to benefit from the free (not so free actually) health services. (doctors, pharmacies etc)

It is sad to see that this shit is becoming popular.

Long story short, they don't want you to be a lazy person. They want you to work so the country's  non-employed people numbers will decrease. More tax income for the country.

If you don't wanna work, you have to pay for being lazy.

Damn what a shit time to live in. You can't even become jobless without paying.

[Lieldoryn]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

This is a moronic idea. Same as Lukashenko himself. Around the world unemployed, the benefits are paid, and this idiot wants their taxes to take. How such a thing could come to mind?

[Barbarian]

Turkey also has a similar law. If you don't have a job, you have to pay a monthly fee based on your parents income. (they don't care how old you are btw) In return, you will have the right to benefit from the free (not so free actually) health services. (doctors, pharmacies etc)

It is sad to see that this shit is becoming popular.

Long story short, they don't want you to be a lazy person. They want you to work so the country's  non-employed people numbers will decrease. More tax income for the country.

If you don't wanna work, you have to pay for being lazy.

Damn what a shit time to live in. You can't even become jobless without paying.

But that is just a way to try force someone to work and that is called slavery if someone is fine being poor and not having many things then it is his choice, once again this shows that every time the government tries to regulate something it fails.

[coolcoinz]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

They are not parasites as long as they aren't given anything by the government. Could you explain what an unemployed person is taking from the rest of the society?

In my view the tax is ridiculous and unexecutable due to many reasons:
1. An unemployed person has no income, but has to eat and live somewhere. Such people have expenses and are often in debt.
2. It's impossible to demand and execute payment of people with no money / in debt.
3. For this law to have grounds, the rate of unemployment would have to be 0 or close to it. It's completely unjust to demand from all people to find work when there's more people than positions to be filled.

[Sithara007]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

This is a moronic idea. Same as Lukashenko himself. Around the world unemployed, the benefits are paid, and this idiot wants their taxes to take. How such a thing could come to mind?

Actually, this is a good idea. There are a lot of jobs available in Belarus, especially in the agricultural sector. But the lazy urban dwellers don't want to work. This tax will make them think twice before rejecting any job offers.

[manyuta]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

They are not parasites as long as they aren't given anything by the government. Could you explain what an unemployed person is taking from the rest of the society?

In my view the tax is ridiculous and unexecutable due to many reasons:
1. An unemployed person has no income, but has to eat and live somewhere. Such people have expenses and are often in debt.
2. It's impossible to demand and execute payment of people with no money / in debt.
3. For this law to have grounds, the rate of unemployment would have to be 0 or close to it. It's completely unjust to demand from all people to find work when there's more people than positions to be filled.

On the one hand, this law is really good, but if we assume that the user bitcoin has a good income from the Internet and his income is not declared, then the state will necessarily perceive him as a parasite. So it turns out that this law will not be good for everyone. But if my neighbor's parasite is thus forced to work, he will stop stealing.

[Sithara007]

On the one hand, this law is really good, but if we assume that the user bitcoin has a good income from the Internet and his income is not declared, then the state will necessarily perceive him as a parasite. So it turns out that this law will not be good for everyone. But if my neighbor's parasite is thus forced to work, he will stop stealing.

If someone who is earning Bitcoins is slapped with this parasite tax, then he has two options:

1. Declare the income from Bitcoin, and pay income tax on it.
2. Don't declare the income from Bitcoins. Instead convert the BTC to fiat, and pay the parasite tax.

[Xester]

Starting from February 20 in different cities of Belarus there is a protest against the tax from the unemployed
If a person does not work for 6 months he must pay a tax of 360BYR (~ $150)

Protest occurs in such cities as Minsk, Brest, Homel, Vitebsk, Bobruisk, Grodno etc.

Number of protesters retail
In some cities hundreds of people protest in others may be several thousand








What do you think of this?

This kind of law is awesome but if there are plans and programs given by the government to create jobs. If the government does not provide job opportunities to people then it is unfair to place taxes on people who are jobless. But if the government has created jobs and the individuals doesnt want to work then it is okay to penalized them by placing taxes on them.

[novemberwoah]

Imposition of a tax for the unemployed was incriminating them because if in the logic of someone who does not work / unemployment certainly had no income so that if they are required to pay taxes would be very incriminating. But it is a good way to reduce the number of unemployed because certainly citizens will be trying to find jobs, so unemployment can be reduced.

Which makes me more curious with this news is how with disabilities, the sick so could not work, and old people ? Will it be taxed or not That made me curious because I read the news that does not explain it.

[andresem]

Which makes me more curious with this news is how with disabilities, the sick so could not work, and old people ? Will it be taxed or not That made me curious because I read the news that does not explain it.

Old people and disabilities people will not pay tax (at least, de-jure)

[phieiph]

Which makes me more curious with this news is how with disabilities, the sick so could not work, and old people ? Will it be taxed or not That made me curious because I read the news that does not explain it.

Old people and disabilities people will not pay tax (at least, de-jure)

If one is impregnated in the law, then in fact, the other should not perform. But if honestly, in Belarus, although there is a kind of dictatorship in a way, but the country is keeping in order, and everything else is trying to establish relations with the civilized world.

[Mr.Nath]

A jobless citizen Paying $150? That's bad. Thought Nigeria was worst.....

[giantdragon]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

At first, in the former USSR penalty for non-working (parasitism) was compulsory labor and not the death penalty.
At second, there were a job guarantee in the USSR. It is not in modern Belarus. Demanding people to pay parasite tax without guaranteeing them a job is an absurd hypocrisy!
President Lukashenko will end up in Maidan (revolution) like in neighboring Ukraine.

[Sithara007]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

At first, in the former USSR penalty for non-working (parasitism) was compulsory labor and not the death penalty.
At second, there were a job guarantee in the USSR. It is not in modern Belarus. Demanding people to pay parasite tax without guaranteeing them a job is an absurd hypocrisy!
President Lukashenko will end up in Maidan (revolution) like in neighboring Ukraine.

There are a lot of jobs (especially in the agricultural, mining and logging sectors) in rural Belarus. The only problem is that the people don't want to do such work, which requires a lot of stamina and energy. And Lukashenko enjoys widespread support in Belarus. Remember that he was the one who prevented an economic collapse in the country, after the USSR disintegrated.

[Holly-Dolly]

Actually, the tax against social parasitism is a good idea. In the former USSR, social parasites were rounded up and they were either shot or sent to the gulags. At least these people should be thanking Lukashenko, as he is not shooting them at point blank.

At first, in the former USSR penalty for non-working (parasitism) was compulsory labor and not the death penalty.
At second, there were a job guarantee in the USSR. It is not in modern Belarus. Demanding people to pay parasite tax without guaranteeing them a job is an absurd hypocrisy!
President Lukashenko will end up in Maidan (revolution) like in neighboring Ukraine.

Perhaps Lukashenko will play bad or he was thrown a very bad idea. People already show their discontent and it seems to me that there are interests of people who want to turn the country away from Europe. And this means that the opponents of this, are hoping for a riot and power pacification of the people. And this means a complete cessation of cooperation with Europe.

[sachinunchwal]

Braving the wrath of their hardline president, protesters took to the streets of Belarus over the weekend in the latest show of anger at a so-called ‘social parasite tax’ on those deemed to be doing too little work.

After earlier rallies, President Alexander Lukashenko agreed to suspend its collection.

But demonstrators want it scrapped altogether. Many were middle-aged and elderly people who complained there was no work for them.

“It is easy for him to say ‘Go and look for a job!’ Yes, you can look for a job long and hard. But how are you supposed to live in the meantime? I don’t know…You have to pay for a flat, eat bread and use transport to look for a job,” said a middle-aged woman in the city of Babruysk.

[LTU_btc]

In general, I think it's good decision that unemployed people have to pay this tax. Yes, $150 is quite big money in Belarus, but people have to find job if they want to avoid this tax. I only don't know about Belarus is it so hard to find job there that we see so many unemployed people. As I know, Belarus is good at farming and industries.
It's also strange that Lukashenko didn't ordered to arrest protestors.
P.S. A bit offtopic: Does anybody know why Belarus people are so often using coast of arms very similar to Lithuanian is visible in one of images provided in first post.