Last September I reported that a bill intended to get Romanian witches to pay their fair share of taxes had failed to pass, because (according to its sponsor) too many legislators were afraid they would be cursed if they voted for it. Whether that was the real reason or not, enough legislators managed to overcome their problems with the bill that it has finally passed. The new measure took effect Saturday.

A Romanian learns to drive

As before, the idea is to define certain endeavors as legal and taxable “professions,” in hopes of cracking down on widespread tax evasion. According to one report, “witches, astrologists, embalmers, valets and driving instructors are now considered by labor law to be working real jobs, making it harder for them to avoid income tax” and making me wonder what kind of embalming and/or driving instruction Romanians have been getting up to now. (The status of the “valet” profession does not cause me the same kind of concern.)

Witches, as you might expect, have been protesting this move for some time, and are still threatening to retaliate. Reportedly, one witch told a news organization on Saturday that she was planning to cast a spell involving black pepper and yeast to “create discord in the government.” Good idea, but I would also start saving those receipts, just in case.