The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) called on Gaza residents and particularly the poor to attend a series of peaceful rallies demanding change to the recent tax laws enforced by the Hamas government.
Marking a further rise in tensions over the issue and a clear alignment of leftist parties against what Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) officials called "harsh" means of tax collection and an arbitrary mandate for collection, the protests are expected to take place Friday.
A DFLP statement expressed concern over draconian tax laws during a time of poverty and severe unemployment in the Strip, calling the measures out of step with the needs of Palestinians. Moreover, the statement said, de facto government officials had allowed severe price increases to cripple families without alternatives to purchasing inflated-rate goods.
PFLP leaders said Hamas officials detained two of their members following the release of a statement outlining the unfair tax collection mechanisms targeting small-business owners including taxi drivers and falafel stands. The statement said strange items were taxed, like measuring scales at fruit markets, and said the homes of some Gaza residents living or traveling abroad were seized and handed over to de facto government security servicemen.
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