The Union of Office Workers, BES, will go on a general strike in Ankara on 27 February to protest against the AKP government's current policies on taxes and wages. With the general strike BES will demand a humane life, secured work and future and justice on taxes and wages.

Speaking to ANF about the general strike, BES President Ahmet Kesik said that the strike was part of the action program BES launched concerning the budget talks for 2013 started in November 2012.

Remarking that an unlawful tax policy is being followed in Turkey, Kesik said that; "The unemployed, underpaid workers and public workers are being sentenced to pay taxes of great amounts. The budget is made up of taxes which force the poor pay the same amount with the wealthy with no consideration of hunger and poverty threshold".

Kesik noted that they demand the reduction of the indirect tax amount from 70 to 30 percent in accordance with EU norms.

Referring to the hunger threshold in Turkey, which is 1060 TL, and the poverty threshold, which is around 3000 TL,  Kesik said that the people in these circles, which also include public workers, shouldn't be subjected to pay any taxes and social contributions for social security systems.

Kesik pointed out that the government pretended to give a raise for public workers but took these raises back by means of taxes.

Kesik noted that they expected to have a broad participation in the general strike on 27 February, adding; "We are vocing the demands of the people and our strike interests all the unemployed and the poor".

The general strike will start with a march from YKM to the Ministry of Finance in Ankara and supported by demos across the country.