- Title: ALBANIA: PUNCH-UP AS POLITICIANS CLASH OVER RAISING OF TAXES
- Date: 17th September 1997
- Summary: TIRANA, ALBANIA (SEPTEMBER 17, 1997) (RTV) 1. SLV CROWDS GATHERED OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT (3 SHOTS) 0.13 2. SLV PAN DEBATE ON-GOING INSIDE PARLIAMENT/ SCU PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER (2 SHOTS) 0.26 3. SCU MEMBERS BANGING THEIR HANDS ON DESKS IN PROTEST/UNIDENTIFIED POLITICIAN SPEAKING AT MICROPHONE/MEMBERS BANGING HANDS ON DESKS (3 SHOTS) 0.42 4. MV MEMBER APPROACHES PODIUM AND PUSHES IT/ SCUFFLES DEVELOP BETWEEN MEMBERS AS SOME PUSH EACH OTHER AND SOME TRY TO PACIFY THEIR COLLEAGUES (7 SHOTS) 1.55 Initials S3 P3 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 2nd October 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: TIRANA, ALBANIA
- City:
- Country: Albania
- Reuters ID: LVA6ZOCAU9E576EWHA7ZPWFKRQ0G
- Story Text: - INTRO: There was a punch-up in the Albanian Parliament on Wednesday (September 17) when politicians clashed over the raising of taxes.
Crowds gathered outside parliament in the capital Tirana as investors who lost money in the collapse of the so-called pyramid-selling schemes continued to campaign for compensation.
Inside parliament tempers flared during an acrimonious debate as a new way of levying excise taxes was introduced and government also decided to increase VAT, or value added tax.
Finance Minister Arben Malaj, who introduced the bill to raise VAT to 20 percent from 12.5 percent, was heckled by opposition Democratic Party MPs, including former president Sali Berisha A Democrat deputy objected to a Socialist taking the floor during the debate and punched him. Others tried to intervene and there was a general rumpus.
The session was temporarily suspended. Deputies returned to vote in favour of the tax-raising package, aimed at paring the budget deficit and cutting inflation to 20percent next year.
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