Burkina Faso: Civil servants protest new bonus tax

On Saturday thousands of civil servants in Burkina Faso marched through the capital Ouagadougou to protest a new tax on their bonuses.

The workers say they a being crushed by the multiple taxes, with some chanting “bread and freedom for the people” as they made their way through the streets.

The government says it imposed the extra levy to bring civil servants’ salaries in line with those of private sector workers. 

The country is already struggling to pay for an ambitious national development plan and its battle to contain the growing Islamist insurgency that is sweeping across West Africa. 

Photo: Getty Images