Liberman presents budget in Finance Knesset Committee, calls it 'most socialized ever'

• Published date: 04 October 2021
• Author: ELIAV BREUER
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

He was joined by Minister in the Finance Ministry Hamed Amar, Finance Ministry general director Ram Belinkov and interim head of the Budget Department Yogev Gardos.

"It is important before presenting the budget to note that the Israeli economy is working and growing," Liberman said at the beginning of the meeting. "In tax collection, we are exceeding expectations, [and] in terms of the volume of credit card activity we are breaking all the records.

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He commended Israeli companies for their success on the stock market and even claimed that the state of Israeli export was too good since the shekel has become so strong that it has harmed industrial export.

Liberman then went on to extoll the budget as the most socialized ever and as including an unprecedented amount of engines of growth.

The budget grants an extra NIS 700 million to the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, NIS 150 million towards reducing domestic violence, NIS 1 billion to the Ministry of Education, NIS 1 billion to the Public Security Ministry, 1,100 new policemen, NIS 300 million for a yearly stipend for holocaust survivors, NIS 800 million to the handicapped, NIS 1 billion to handicapped IDF veterans and NIS 5 billion towards fortifying the northern border.

Liberman also praised the government's COVID policy's positive impact on the economy, as the economy was left open and there were no lockdowns.

"I propose to examine the subject of the lockdowns," he said. "I am closely following the two countries that are enforcing the longest and harshest lockdowns, New Zealand and Australia. In recent days New Zealand has experienced another outbreak."

"It must be understood that the solution to COVID is twofold: vaccines and personal hygiene. The whole subject of lockdowns does not work, and they severely cripple the economy," he said.

He concluded by listing a number of growth engines, such as the Metro project in Gush Dan, heavy...