Dubai: The Romanian government has reasons to fear the vengeance of thousands of witches in the country after it declared witchcraft a recognised profession and ordered that taxes shall be imposed on it from last Saturday.
The move came to the attention of the public when a witch called Bratara declared on the website of a popular TV station, Retaliate.net, that she and her fellow witches plan to cast a spell on the government using black pepper and yeast to force officials to revoke the measure.
The debt-burdened country, with its government looking for new tax sources to reduce the public deficit, has identified the formerly free professions of witches, fortunetellers, astrologists, clairvoyants and similar occupations as "real jobs" and wants them to apply for a tax file number.
Until now, those professions were categorised as "social activities", but given the fact that many witches and "seers" were pocketing ¤15,000 and more tax-free each year which makes them high earners in Romania, the temptation was too big for the government not to let them go without paying their dues.
The new law was debated for months in the parliament in Bucharest without reaching a majority. Rumours say that MPs feared they would be bewitched if they voted for the new tax law.
However, witches and other people offering occult services now need to keep a bill showing the amount collected from their customers for the tax office. Clients can technically claim compensation if an augury turns out to be wrong.
Romania, the birthplace of Dracula, has a long tradition of superstition, witchcraft and black magic. Many politicians claim to consult an astrologer before taking an important decision.
