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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jan/5/romanian-witches-cast-spells-protest-new-taxes/print/
ROMANIA - WITCHES PROTEST NEW TAXES
Superstition Considered Mainstream
in Romania
MOGOSOIA, Romania (AP) — Solace
for world leaders trying to enforce painful austerity measures: At least you're
not running Romania.
Angry witches are using cat
excrement and dead dogs to cast spells on the president and government, which
is forcing them to pay taxes. Also in the eye of the taxman are fortune
tellers, who should have seen it coming.
And President Traian Basescu
isn't laughing it off. In a country where superstition is mainstream, the
president and his aides wear purple on Thursdays, allegedly to ward off evil
spirits.
Witches from Romania's eastern and
western regions will descend to the southern plains and the
A dozen witches will head to the
"This law is foolish. What
is there to tax, when we hardly earn anything?" she said by telephone on
Wednesday. "The lawmakers don't look at themselves, at how much they make,
their tricks. They steal, and they come to us asking us to put spells on their
enemies."
The tax on witches went into
effect Saturday as part of the government's drive to crack down on tax evasion
in a country that is in recession. Like any self-employed person, they will pay
16 percent income tax and make contributions to health and pension programs.
And it's not only witches:
Astrologers, embalmers, valets and driving instructors now are considered by
law to be working real jobs, making it harder for them to avoid income tax.
Some argue the law will be hard to enforce, as the payments are made in cash
and relatively small at 20 to 30 lei ($7 to $10) per consultation.
Magic in Romania is no
laughing matter. Centuries-old superstitions are rife and are tolerated even by
the Orthodox Church, to which more than four-fifths of Romanians belong.
In 2009, the loser in Romania's
presidential race, Mircea Geoana, and his wife claimed he was subjected to
attacks of negative energy by Mr. Basescu's aides
during a crucial debate in which he performed poorly.
Geoana aide Viorel Hrebenciuc
alleged there was a "violet flame" conspiracy during the campaign. He
said Mr.
Basescu and others aides dressed in purple on Thursdays to increase his
chance of victory. They continue to be seen wear purple clothing on important
days. Before that, late Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, had their own
personal witch.
Queen witch Bratara Buzea, 63,
who was imprisoned in 1977 for witchcraft under Mr. Ceausescu's repressive
regime, is furious about the new law.
Sitting cross-legged in her villa
in the lake resort of Mogosoaia, just north of
"We do harm to those who
harm us," she said. "They want to take the country out of this crisis
using us? They should get us out of the crisis because they brought us into
it."
'My curses always work!" she
cackled in a smoky voice. She sat next to her wood-burning stove, surrounded by
potions, charms, holy water and ceramic pots
Not every witch is threatening
fire and brimstone.
"This law is very
good," witch Mihaela Minca said. "It means that our magic gifts are
recognized and I can open my own practice."