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Source: http://old.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120124/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_palestinians_tax_battle
Palestinian Tax Hike Riles Business, Unions
(AP) Karin Laub and Mohammed Daraghmeh - Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has sparked a furor with a push to get Palestinians to pay more taxes and reduce reliance on the massive foreign aid that has kept their self-rule government afloat for a generation. Donors have become more frugal because of the global financial crisis and paralysis in Mideast diplomacy over the past three years. The tax hike mainly targets the top earners, doubling the maximum rate from 15 to 30%. Long accustomed to minimal taxes in the West Bank, private business, the civil servants' union and the main political party, Fatah, are fighting back, including with threats of labor strikes.