1000s of Tunisian lawyers rally against new taxes, demand PM's ouster
Thousands of Tunisian lawyers have rallied against the prime minister, demanding his ouster and protesting against new taxes levied on them and other high-income professions as an austerity measure pushed by global lenders.
Nearly 3,500 of the country’s 8,500 attorneys took part in the protest rally in Tunis on Tuesday, which followed an open-ended strike waged by lawyers on Monday in a move that will challenge the government’s determination to implement its reforms.
According to a budget draft passed by the Tunisian parliament's finance committee on Monday, lawyers will have to pay taxes ranging from about $8 to $20 for each legal case they bring to court.
The unpopular new taxes are part of austerity measures projected by the government for the upcoming year under pressure from international lenders to slash the fiscal deficit.
During the protest, participants chanted, "We reject this unjust law," with some demanding the resignation of Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.
Chahed, who became prime minister in August, has proposed a broad package of measures to cut spending, stimulate growth and create jobs.
The premier referred to the 2017 budget last week as the most controversial in Tunisia's history but said his government "had the courage to begin these reforms in order to balance our public finances."
In its bid to revive the country’s troubled economy, the Tunisian government has submitted a budget to the legislature that further includes higher taxes for companies as well as new taxes on other high-end professions such as medics and engineers.
The budget draft also includes a public sector wage freeze, which prompted Tunisia’s largest labor union, the UGTT, to declare a general strike for Thursday.
Many Tunisians remain concerned that taxes and austerity measures will further exacerbate the country’s growing economic troubles since a nationwide uprising in 2011.
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