November 27 (SeeNews) - Some 45,000 people rallied on Sunday night in Bucharest and other Romanian cities to oppose controversial changes to the fiscal code announced by the government and to support the fight against corruption.
For the first time since the protests began on November 5, the biggest trade union confederations in the country, namely The National Trade Union Bloc, BNS, and Cartel Alfa members joined the protests.
Also present were members of some 42 civic groups and non-government organisations, local media reported.
Some 30,000 people marched from the government headquarters in Bucharest to parliament to protest against an emergency decree introducing changes to the fiscal code that was issued by the government at the beginning of November, as well as against government plans to appoint Romania's chief prosecutor without the consent of the president.
Other 15,000 people gathered in protest rallies in 70 cities across the country, local media reported.
Sunday's protests were peaceful all over the country.
On November 8, Romania's governing coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and centre-right Liberal-Democrat Alliance (ALDE) approved an emergency decree to change the country's fiscal code starting January 2018. The changes, which have drawn fire from businesses, stipulate that workers will have to pay the social security contributions currently paid by employers, while income tax will drop from 16% to 10%.
In the view of employees, the changes will not increase their net salaries, as the government claims, and will only complicate their fiscal position.
At the beginning of November, businesses and Romanian president Klaus Iohannis asked the governing coalition to abandon the planned tax changes which in their opinion will lead to fiscal chaos.
People also protested against against PSD's plans to make possible the appointment of Romania's chief prosecutors by the justice minister, without the control of the president.
This was the fourth straight Sunday of protests in Romania.
Last week on Thursday, a censure motion against Romania's cabinet led by Mihai Tudose failed to pass as opposition lacked enough votes and the governing coalition did not vote. Opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR) filed the censure motion over the decree introducing the fiscal changes.
PNL said it intends to challenge the decree before the Constitutional Court.
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