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Romanian witches face curse of taxes

January 6, 2011

Witch_edenpictures_Flickr2 Romanian lawmakers might be a bit on edge right now.

Some of the witches who now must pay an income tax for the very first time say they will use cat excrement and dead dogs to cast spells on the president and government officials.

The Eastern European nation, home of Vlad the Impaler who inspired the Dracula legend, is still quite a  superstitious place.

In fact, the first time Romanian lawmakers considered imposing the witch tax, it failed because some of the legislators feared they would be cursed if the law was enacted.

But financial need superseded superstition.

The new tax, which also targets astrologers and fortune tellers, took effect Jan. 1.

Under the new law, witches and the other practitioners of occult occupations are listed in Romania's labor code, treated like any self-employed person and are expected to pay 16 percent income tax and contribute to state health and pension programs.

Now we wait to see if the spells calling for evil to befall Romanian officials work.

If any lawmaker suffers the least bit of bad luck, I suspect a measure to repeal the witch tax will be quickly introduced.

Witch photo courtesy Eden Pictures (via Flickr Commons)

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TAX-SAVVY WAYS 
TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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