Merchants pull down their shutters in the Tehran bazaar. Image from YouTube.
The Iranian government is facing strong opposition from enraged merchants, who entered their sixth day of strikes on Monday in protest against a hefty annual tax increase. Generally considered close allies of the Islamic regime, the stall owners' protests are viewed as a serious warning to President Ahmadinejad.
Merchants in the capital's bazaar began shutting up shop last Tuesday in protest against a supposed 70% annual tax increase. Despite having been introduced two years ago, no attempts to properly enforce the tax have been made until recently.
On Wednesday, Deputy Trade Minister Mohammad Ali Zeyghami lowered the tax increase to 30%, but the strikes continued. A meeting between trade unionists and officials on Saturday failed to resolve the dispute.
Merchants pull down their shutters in the Tehran bazaar. Image from YouTube.
