Today in Lutsk, Volyn entrepreneurs picketed the regional state administration. \n \nWith the protest action, representatives of small business expressed their disagreement with the introduction of a pension contribution rate of 32 percent for entrepreneurs, as provided for by the Law "On Compulsory State Insurance," which takes effect on January 1, 2004. The protest was organized by the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Small and Medium Business "Volyn." About 500 entrepreneurs from Lutsk, Horokhiv, Volodymyr-Volynskyi, Rozhyshche, Novovolynsk, and Kivertsi took part in the action. As a sign of protest, most retail outlets in the city's markets did not operate in Lutsk. However, there were also strikebreakers who did not refuse to work on the eve of the New Year holidays. \n \nThe main demands of the protesters were the gradual introduction of the pension contribution rate, starting at 10 percent, and with economic growth and business development, its gradual increase; to revise the size of pensions for state officials, "who receive it in inflated amounts illegally, having by their actions brought the state to economic and social crisis"; to establish reasonable proportions between minimum and maximum pensions. \n \nThe slogans at the rally were: "Shame on millionaire deputies!", "Entrepreneurs of Ukraine, we will not work for personal pensions for deputies," "Do not increase the army of the unemployed," "Pension contributions are a grave for the entrepreneur," "President, our hope is in You." \n \nAs noted by the head of the Association for the Protection of the Rights of Small and Medium Business "Volyn," Nadiia Tuz, the rate of contributions to the Pension Fund in the amount of 32 percent is unjustified and discriminatory, especially for those who pay the single tax. Criticism of the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers was also heard at the rally. After an hour-long wait in a 5-degree frost for a representative from the regional state administration, the picketers began chanting "Frantsuz! Frantsuz!" (head of the Volyn Regional State Administration), and then moved toward the walls of the regional state administration building. Through the efforts of the organizers of the protest action and the head of public order protection of the UMVS in Volyn Oblast, Anton Tsisaruk, the crowd was stopped. However, Anatolii Frantsuz never came out to the picketers, as he was on a working trip to the Russian Federation. \n \nAfter threats to block traffic on Prospekt Voli, which is located opposite the regional state administration building, Deputy Head of the Regional State Administration Oleksandr Syminskyi came out to the protesters and assured that the demands would be forwarded to the Presidential Administration, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Cabinet of Ministers. First Deputy Mayor Sviatoslav Kravchuk, who had come out to the protesters earlier, reported that the Lutsk City Executive Committee would sign the entrepreneurs' appeal, citing the social tension that could arise in the city. After all, from entrepreneurs' payment of the single tax, Lutsk annually receives about 5 million hryvnias. \n \nAs the organizers noted in conclusion, this was only a warning action; the next one is planned for January 20.