Romania’s witches forced to pay income tax

Superstitions are no laughing matter in Romania— the land of the medieval ruler who inspired the “Dracula” tale— and have been part of its culture for centuries. President Traian Basescu and his aides have been known to wear purple on certain days,supposedly to ward off evil.

A witch at the Danube named Alisia called the new tax law “foolish.”

“What is there to tax,when we hardly earn anything?” she said.

Yet on the Chitila River in southern Romania,other witches gathered around a fire Thursday and threw corn into an icy river to celebrate Epiphany. They praised the new government measure,saying it gives them official recognition.

The new tax law is part of the government’s drive to collect more revenue and crack down on tax evasion in a country that is in recession.

In the past,the less mainstream professions of witch,astrologer and fortune teller were not listed in the Romanian labour code,as were those of embalmer,valet and driving instructor. People who worked those jobs used their lack of registration to evade paying income tax.

Under the new law,like any self-employed person,they will pay 16 percent income tax and make contributions to health and pension programs.

Mircea Geoana,who lost the presidential race to Basescu in 2009,performed poorly during a crucial debate,and his camp blamed an alleged “violet flame” conspiracy.

Such spiritualism has long been tolerated by the Orthodox Church in Romania,and the 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 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 Bucharest,she said Wednesday she planned to cast a spell using a particularly effective concoction of cat excrement and a dead dog.

“We do harm to those who harm us. My curses always work!” she cackled in a smoky voice,sitting next to a wood-burning stove,surrounded by potions,charms,holy water and ceramic pots.