The new tax, enshrined in a decree on preventing social dependency, widely known as the "Law against social parasites", requires those who declare less than 183 days of work per year to pay $250 in compensation for lost taxes - more than half an average monthly salary.
On Friday, about 2,000 people demonstrated in Minsk, one of the largest protests of recent years under the authoritarian rule of President Alexander Lukashenko. The protests were unauthorised but appeared to be tolerated by the authorities. Belarus has been in recession since 2015 due to a slump in oil prices and contagion from an economic downturn in neighbouring Russia, where many Belarussians work in order to send money home.
Tax authorities say around 470,000 people are liable for the tax, but fewer than 10 percent have paid, generating just $6 million in extra revenue for the government.