THOSE ARE SOME BRAVE TAX COLLECTORS

Witches foresee demand from hex inspector (Monica Petrescu , The Telegraph, September 3rd, 2006)

The Romanian taxman is stirring up a cauldron of trouble for witches whose tax-free spells are costing the treasury millions of pounds a year in lost revenue.

Vampirism, spells, hexes and curses are still big business in the country, providing a black-market income – and relatively luxurious lifestyle – for about 4,000 women who peddle their services both in Romania and abroad.

The witches can command between £9 and £90 for a spell, a significant sum in Romania where the average monthly salary is £150. Businesses have been known to consult them in an effort to boost profits, and the witches even had a stand at a recent export trade fair.[...]

"They need to be made to follow the same laws as everyone else," said Andrei Chiliman, the mayor of Bucharest's First District, and the first official to risk the witches' wrath by ordering a census. Since then, others have followed his lead.

"If they sell something, whether it's a potion or a curse, they need to pay tax," Mr Chiliman added. "And by registering them we will allow unsatisfied customers to sue them if they don't get what they paid for."

Yes, Europe will have no trouble withstanding Islam.