Belarusians Wanted to Raise Double Tax

What is the other invention of resident bean-counters?

The sooner autumn comes, the more "surprises" prepared by the authorities reveal. Meanwhile, the economic situation is not getting better. Charter97.org asked Siarhei Veramyeenka, representative of the Belarusian National Congress in Hrodna, about people's sentiment.

- The other day it became known about two-fold increase of utility services this year. A detailed calculation shows that the rent bill for an ordinary family will cost much more than the government says. What is the reaction of people?

- Of course, all these "know-how" only lead to increased discontent. There are too many "hot" topics will be touched on this autumn. The authorities try patience of the people. It looks like they can cross the line where patience ends.

By the way, there is an interesting situation in the Hrodna utility service. We have a waste recycling plant, special cars are involved to take waste to the plant. There are special containers in yards.

So it turns out that the plant makes money on recycling and people pay for garbage disposal. The state has made a double profit, and takes a double fee from citizens. This reflects the situation in the economy.

I will not be surprised if other regions come up with similar schemes to gain a double profit. Double tariff increase is just what we know about.

New fees and duties, often veiled from a layman, are constantly introduced. Housing and utility services are just one example of mockery of "resident bean-counters". They constantly tell about 100% cost of services we have to pay. At the same time, tariffs have been increased so many times and here I wonder whether we already pay 100% or even more.

What does this 100% mean? After all, when we come to a store we can see specific figures. No one writes that bread costs 2% of your salary. I wonder why the authorities do no specify numbers regarding apartments. It is completely clear that it can be specified in rubles, dollars, euros. Please, specify how much it costs in dollar equivalent. Instead, they voice percentages and raise tariffs all the time. And the end (100%) is still a secret. Perhaps, we already pay 120 or even 150.

The Belarusian power tests us to the limit and tries to act without taking us into consideration. They violate laws they invented. Relatives of officials and Lukashenka's family obey one rules, and ordinary people, especially public activists, should obey others.

- but many people remember the way Decree No. 3 influenced people who came to protests observed before only in the beginning of the 90s. By the way, the decree revives in October. What will be the reaction of people?

- I think there will be an adequate reaction - they may be as active or even more active as it was the last time.

Even small towns with no political activity for more than 20 years were involved in protests. The authorities should have come to common sense and revoked the decree.

But they made a pause and now involve in confrontation again. Well, we meet the challenge. We will fight, we must defend our rights.

The regime is in a fine pickle. They have just taken other Russian loan of $700 million to pay the interest on previous loans. This is ridiculous. Lukashenka may just try to "drop the hammer". But he will fail because people are tired of this bullying and feel like full-fledged citizens and masters of the country.