Iranian authorities threaten Bazaar strikers with legal action

Iranian authorities have told the gold merchants in Tehran’s Bazaar to call off their two-week-old strike against new tax laws or face legal prosecution.

The Islamic Republic government has raised sales taxes in an attempt to boost revenues to overcome the symptoms of an ailing economy.

Tehran Prosecutor said during a ceremony in Tehran that if anyone wants to remain indifferent to the economic situation and disturb public order, they will have to face the police and the judiciary.

Iran suspended the plan to impose a 3 percent sales tax in 2008 after a rare strike by the Bazaar merchants. The Bazaar merchants are considered staunch supporters of Iran’s Islamic clerical system and their strikes during the 1979 Revolution was instrumental in toppling the monarchy.

In the meantime, Deputy Minister of Economy and Treasury told Mehr news agency that they will severely confront currency traders who are blocking the trade of foreign currencies.

A sudden surge in the exchange rate for the dollar in the past week led currency traders to stop trade. In an attempt to stabilize the situation, the government has threatened to cancel the trader’s licence if they refuse to get back to business as usual.