The office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taken the rare step of moving to dispel a popular myth that it receives a hefty cut on the sale of new cars, press reports said on Tuesday.
"The rumors that say that this office receives a percentage off the cars manufactured in Iran are sheer lies, and only try to sow anxiety and mistrust," Khamenei's office was quoted as saying in a statement.
"This office has asked the ministry of intelligence to identify those spreading such rumors so they could be dealt with according to the law," it added, according to AFP.
According to a rumor frequently heard in the capital of Tehran, especially from taxi drivers, the high price of even low-quality cars can be attributed to a "religious tax" that sees up to a third of their cash sent to Khamenei. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
