ZAPORIZHIA, Sept. 7 - Virtually all markets of Zaporizhia were closed on Tuesday morning as thousands of local businessmen picketed the region's state administration to protest against plans to adopt a new version of the tax code, which, if adopted, will prohibit the import into Ukraine of second-hand goods and raise the housing and utilities tariffs and the pension age for women.

Lidiya Kryvenko, chairman of the local business union Nika, said the Ukrainian light industry is hurt not only by second hand goods, which are all over the world, but also by ineffective economic policies. Goods manufactured by our factories are too expensive," Kryvenko said.