For the second time in a row: The Trade Fee Advisory Committee unanimously decided not to impose a tax on cement consumers • At Symant's company in the hip:

• Cement prices are unchanged // Photo Archive: GettyImages

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Cement prices will not go up - that's what the Advisory Committee on Trade Futures has set today. The committee - which includes representatives of the Ministry of the Economy, Treasury and Public Representatives - unanimously decided, for the second time in a row, that there is no room for imposing a levy or any taxation on the cement consumer public. 

In doing so, the committee rejected the position of Hamlet Nesher monopoly and the recommendation of the Commissioner of Trade Duties of the Ministry of Economy, Danny Tal, to raise the tax on cement from abroad by up to 30% - compared with the current levy of only 0.25%.

Now the ball goes to Minister of Economy Amir Peretz, who will decide whether to accept the commission's recommendation or raise the tax on imported cement anyway - a step that will benefit Len Blavatnik, owner of Nesher and Network Channel 13. If Peretz decides to impose a flood anyway, the decision will be passed to the Finance Minister Israel Katz and then a Knesset Finance Committee discussion and vote will be held. 

"Will allow competition"

The "cement", the main importer of cement in Israel, naturally welcomed the decision. "The committee saw before its eyes the good of the entire economy and the public, and did not give in to the pressure exerted on it to stop competition and raise cement prices in Israel," Symant said.

"We are confident that the ministers of economics and finance will continue the positive trend of opening the economy to competition that has enabled, inter alia, the entry of dozens of new concrete producers employing thousands of workers and the reduction of cost of living, and will not allow the days of a concentration market dominated by a dorsal monopoly."

The Shulman Group also called on the economy and finance ministers to adopt the committee's recommendation: "This is a big win for the small and medium-sized self-employed, and a huge win for the entire public. Competition will be maintained, prices will not skyrocket and small businesses in the field will continue to enjoy low cement and concrete prices. The new economy sees before it small businesses and benefits the public as a whole, and on the other hand, stop protecting monopolies, workers 'organizations that are blackmailing the economy and workers' committees. "

On the other hand, the industry association was furious at the decision: "Professional officials once again agreed that Turkey is trying to hurt the local cement industry by flooding the market with cheap cement but once again escaped the decision-making decision. A day after their plan is fulfilled and thousands of workers in the Israeli cement industry are fired, the Turks rise. Happily, Israel will depend entirely on Turkish cement. "

Recall that the contestant, Michal Halperin, was strongly opposed to the imposition of the dumping, which she said would cause "serious damage to the competition and the public."