Hryvinia
08-04-2008, 03:34
The Krogstad Herald
By Lars Anders
In perhaps one of the most controversial moves by The Crown in a decade, His Majesty King-Emperor Sverre IV signed a bill today making tax evasion a capital offense.
The bill had been hotly contested in the Althing for almost a month, and passed yesterday after a 31 hour filibuster by Liberal Democratic Socialist speaker Jorg Mueller. The final vote was 176-174.
Several senators of the Green Party and Liberal Democratic Socialist Party issued strong condemnations of the new measure, with Sen. Mueller saying as part of his filibuster that this measure represented "a step in the wrong direction, and a move toward another Dark Age."
He went on to say that this measure will result in "a death row overcrowded with the proletariat."
These claims were flatly rejected by His Majesty, who in his signing statement said that the bill was a "necessary measure to combat a growing problem in Hryvinia." IRS figures show that approximately 2.5% of Hryvinian citizens either underpaid or failed to pay their taxes entirely. That number has been on the rise for the past five years despite the 5% reduction in taxes in the last year. The tax currently sits at 12%.
His Majesty went on in his statement to say that "in my view, tax evasion is a soft form of treason. By refusing to pay your share, you're refusing to fund projects that work for your own good and for the good of Hryvinia. " The bill also included measures to streamline the tax filing process.
Reaction from the international community has yet to be heard.
By Lars Anders
In perhaps one of the most controversial moves by The Crown in a decade, His Majesty King-Emperor Sverre IV signed a bill today making tax evasion a capital offense.
The bill had been hotly contested in the Althing for almost a month, and passed yesterday after a 31 hour filibuster by Liberal Democratic Socialist speaker Jorg Mueller. The final vote was 176-174.
Several senators of the Green Party and Liberal Democratic Socialist Party issued strong condemnations of the new measure, with Sen. Mueller saying as part of his filibuster that this measure represented "a step in the wrong direction, and a move toward another Dark Age."
He went on to say that this measure will result in "a death row overcrowded with the proletariat."
These claims were flatly rejected by His Majesty, who in his signing statement said that the bill was a "necessary measure to combat a growing problem in Hryvinia." IRS figures show that approximately 2.5% of Hryvinian citizens either underpaid or failed to pay their taxes entirely. That number has been on the rise for the past five years despite the 5% reduction in taxes in the last year. The tax currently sits at 12%.
His Majesty went on in his statement to say that "in my view, tax evasion is a soft form of treason. By refusing to pay your share, you're refusing to fund projects that work for your own good and for the good of Hryvinia. " The bill also included measures to streamline the tax filing process.
Reaction from the international community has yet to be heard.