The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. September 28, 2012 Greece, Spain Announce Austerity Plans Despite Mass Protests ------------------------------------------------------------- Coalition leaders in Greece say they’ve reached a basic outline for an austerity package required to win over international lenders. The plan includes tax hikes as well as $15 billion dollars in cuts to pensions, salaries and government spending. The proposal comes on the heels of mass anti-austerity protests in Greece amidst a general strike earlier this week. Spain, meanwhile, has announced its own plans for austerity cuts and tax hikes in a bid to strip $50 billion from next year’s budget. Spain's austerity plans have also sparked a massive backlash, with protesters launching an “Occupy Congress” action earlier this week.