Romania: 1,000 protest tax changes that could slash wages

BUCHAREST, Romania – Some 1,000 workers have staged an anti-government protest in the Romanian capital against a tax overhaul which could lead to wage cuts.

Workers gathered outside the government offices Tuesday, yelling and whistling to express their anger with the left-wing government they accuse of damaging their livelihoods.

The government recently approved a tax overhaul that will come into effect on Jan. 1 where social security taxes will be shifted from the employer to the employee. The measure could slash salaries by twenty per cent.

Ion Badoi, 49, who’s employed by the national railway company in the central city of Ramnicu Valcea said the measure had generated uncertainty.

“Nobody is telling us what will happen to our salaries,” he said. “If they don’t modify our contracts, we will lose money.”