|
|
Article: FEATURE -- MONITORING MACEDONIA
- Article from:
- United Press International
- Article date:
- October 18, 2001
CopyrightProvided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
United Press International
10-18-2001
Feature -- Monitoring Macedonia
SKOPJE, Macedonia, Oct 18, 2001 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Close to 500,000 Macedonians -- about one quarter of the population -- live under the poverty line in a country where the average monthly salary is less than $150.
More than 1 in 3 members of the workforce are unemployed. With inflation up 5.5 percent in the last 12 months and taxes -- borne disproportionately by the poor and the working class -- at 37 percent of gross domestic product, life is tough in this small, landlocked country.
When faced with the choice between raising value-added tax from 5 percent to 19 percent on bare necessities (such as ...