Human rights defenders are called to the tax inspectorate
- 17.11.2010, 14:58
The attention of the tax authorities is constantly increasing towards human rights activists during the election campaigns.
Today, on November, 17, a representative of the Human Rights Centre “Vyasna” Valyantsin Stefanovich received by mail a claim for declaration of income and assets for the year 2009 to the inspection of the Ministry of Taxes and Dues of the Republic of Belarus of Partyzansky District of Minsk.
The human rights defender is requested to provide such a declaration before November, 30 of this year.
Stefanovich is registered as a taxpayer in the tax office of the Partyzansky District. He notes that in March of this year he submitted the declaration for the year 2009 with an indication of the total income, which he had received working on social and legal contracts, and paid the assessed income tax. Therefore, human rights activist expresses his surprise at the receipt of the request.
- During the parliamentary elections in 2008 - after the press conference on the occasion of the beginning of the observation within the frameworks of the “Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections” campaign - representatives of the campaign Ales Byalyatsky, Aleh Hulak, and I received such claims from the tax authorities. I was checked by the tax inspection of Partyzansky District for 10 years - from 1998 to 2008. And not only I was checked but my family members as well – my father, my wife. No hidden or unreported income from property was found during the inspection. And now they again require the declaration from me. It is amazing that they want to hear some additional information for the year 2009. Moreover, no change since 2008 has occurred - I do not possess any new flats, cars, land, or something else, - said V. Stefanovich.
And then the human rights activist notices a definite trend:
- Inspections coincide with election campaigns in the country - in 2008 the parliamentary elections were held, now the presidential campaign is running. I, as a representative of the Human Rights Center “Vyasna” take an active part in the campaign for election monitoring. Of course, I associate all this solely with my activities and consider it a fact of pressure on me.