1.   As a concession, the government suspended a planned hike in the price of gasoline and tolls.

2.   But the leftist-dominated parliament passed a law banning the planned hike.

3.   He said under such circumstances, the government should implement a planned hike in the consumption tax as scheduled.

4.   The government has justified its planned hike in corporate taxes by saying that businesses will be the first to benefit from a single European currency.

5.   The planned hike was sharply criticized at home and abroad as a move by the government to muzzle the press.

6.   Trucker union leaders agreed to unblock roads after the government pledged to suspend a planned hike in the price of road tolls, said a Transportation Ministry statement.

7.   But the planned hike in the consumption tax next April to five percent from three percent and an eventual rise in interest rates may dampen near-term residential demand.

8.   The communists in the multi-party government and the Hindu nationalist opposition have opposed the planned hike.