Protest

Protests Tuesday and Wednesday Against the Savage Tax Hike!



The last few days’ worrying deterioration of the conversation with regards to refugees and their host communities, has successfully shifted the focus from the crimes Lebanese politicians are trying to commit against Lebanese taxpayers.

Earlier this year, the corrupt politicians tried to jam a savage tax hike down our throats, while giving themselves and their buddies tax breaks and forgiving fines and debts they owe to the Lebanese people.

Back then, we went down to the streets and forced them to pull this piece of legislation. The president suspended parliament for a month, and they scurried to come up with an electoral law that guarantees they won’t get decimated next elections.

However, as expected, they’re trying to jam the tax hike again, and thought none of us would notice because we’d be too busy with the toxic discussions in the aftermath of the incident in Aarsal and talk of an upcoming military operation to rid the border area of armed extremist groups still hunkered down in Aarsal’s hinterlands since 2013.

Please, don’t buy into the politicians’ rhetoric ahead of the elections. They are trying to distract you with fiery remarks that don’t lead to any viable solution, so you’d be too busy arguing with each other to notice they’re doing backroom deals at your expense.


Tomorrow afternoon, 5PM, we are going down to the streets to protest the tax hike. Protests are in Riad El Solh, next to the entrance to the parliament where they will try to pass this savage tax hike, instead of reform and stop wasting our tax liras.

Focus, because like we stopped it the first time they tried, we’re gonna stop it this time too. And to the politicians, I say shame on you for threatening the security and stability of Lebanon, so that you can distract your constituents ahead of elections… Elections are coming, we will not forget and we will not forgive at the ballot box anyone who is colluding to pass this disgraceful tax increase while they think we aren’t watching.

No to the tax hike.

They’re Trying to Hike Taxes Without Us Noticing



Remember a couple of months ago, when we went down to protest the tax hike, and the president decided to suspend parliament for a month? The result was the less-than-ideal, tailor-made, gerrymandered new electoral law. Apart from that though, our politicians thought we’d lose focus and interest and that they can reintroduce their savage tax hike again when taxpayers had calmed down.

The Leaked Agenda


By now, all of you probably saw the leaked agenda of the upcoming two parliamentary sessions. The first item is the many years overdue wage increase for many public and private employees in Lebanon. The second, a series of savage tax hikes from those same people, and the rest of Lebanon’s taxpayers.

In other words, Lebanon’s politicians are doing nothing to stop corruption, wasteful spending and outright theft of public money and tax breaks and loopholes for them and their buddies. However, they’re putting on a PR stunt of increasing wages slightly, while hiking up taxes across the board.

What’s funny is how absurd the agenda is. Item 5 is “protection of animals” (how heartwarming). Item 3 is extradition of persons between Lebanon and Russia (why the fuck?)

The other two pages of the agenda are below:



So, prepare yourselves this week for massive protests to stop this disgusting attempt by Lebanon’s politicians to shove new taxes down our throat, when growth in the first 6 months of this year did not exceed 1%, unemployment has reached an unprecedented 30% and the government’s proposed budget is more like a chicken with its legs dipped in paint walking around randomly: no direction, no vision, no reform.

It’s sad that our corrupt leaders have become so predictable. I remember when we heard the news of the president suspending parliament for a month while protesting in the Central District, we all thought, they’ll just wait a little bit and try to pass it without us noticing. Well, we did, and your dirty tricks have become all too familiar.

A note to all the groups organizing next week’s protests: do it in the late afternoon, when the heat wave is more bearable and most people get off work.

We will stop these taxes again. Fund the wage hike by cutting your tax breaks and paying for all the crimes against Lebanese taxpayers, like occupying public beaches while paying no penalty or tax to reimburse Lebanon’s taxpayers.