striking against the 3 percent value added tax (VAT).
The strike comes as gold has hit record highs in international markets, so the striking merchants appear to be missing out on a killing—unless they are assuming the gold price will continue to soar and they can make even more profit by waiting.
It is not clear why only the gold merchants are striking if the issue is the VAT tax. The Ahmadi-nejad Administration proposed the VAT as a new tax a few years ago but suspended it in the face of a strike by all Bazaar merchants.
The VAT would apply to all businesses in Iran and would require them to keep detailed records of purchases and sales, details bazaaris have been loathe to share for centuries.
