As discussions on the state budget continue at a dizzying pace in the Knesset committees ahead of its impending transfer next month, a new initiative is being launched today in the form of a dedicated website on the subject of the budget.
This is a development that makes the state's budgets accessible from its early years and explains the data in short and easy language over short slides.
The website, which has been built in recent months in professional cooperation with other units in the Knesset, headed by the Budget Control Department at the Knesset Research and Information Center, seeks to make the state budget and the Knesset's role accessible to the general public in the budget process.
The site currently includes "IDs" of the state's first budgets, links to relevant documents and data files of the Ministry of Finance budget, historical photos and surprising details from the years of the state budget for generations.
Meeting of the First Finance Committee, Photo: Intelligence Services Photo
Due to the size and complexity of the budget and the importance of its approval in the Knesset, the site staff has prepared a dedicated easy and simple content area dedicated entirely to the state budget, where you can learn, for example, how to formulate a budget, what the budget structure is and what happens after approval.
It is possible to get to know the budget from a historical point of view and to investigate and find out whether the distribution of the budget cake of the young state according to areas of activity and priorities is different from the distribution in the current state budgets or rather similar.
Time travel tax
Thus, for example, it appears from the slides that reached Israel Today ahead of time that in 1952, 11 million pounds were added to the state treasury from income derived from luxury tax.
Until the submission of this budget, only temporary budgets were submitted, for a period of two months, in addition to the same budget that encompasses the offices and services only.
It further shows that in the 1949-1950 budget there was a security budget that was kept secret.
Knesset Director General Gil Segal: "The state budget will be understood by all," Photo: GPO, Avi Ohayon
70 years ago the state increased its revenue by almost £ 50 million compared to the previous year.
Among other things, as mentioned, due to the luxury tax which was one of the main budget sources.
85 percent of the luxury tax came from five items: jewelry and ornaments, vehicles, expensive wines, appliances, furniture and clothing that is not made "for everyone" or locally made.
In addition, one million pounds from the budget of the Ministry of Education were allocated to higher education institutions - the University, the Technion and the Weizmann Institute.
In addition, a budget was allocated for government participation at 50 percent of teachers' salaries, along with local authorities.
Budget reflects policy
"The budget book, which is on the Knesset members' table and is being approved as part of the budget bill, is one of the most important documents discussed in the legislature," Rachel Malul, the website's director, told Israel Today. "In fact, it reflects the government's policy. In the next stage, we plan to deepen the cooperation of additional units in the Knesset that deal with the budget, expand the historical information on the site and further develop the user experience."
Knesset Director General Gil Segal told Israel Today that "this is a significant move whose purpose is to improve the social and democratic discourse. Following this initiative, the state budget, which affects us all, could, perhaps for the first time, be understood by all and will allow anyone interested to understand and study the budgets, which in fact reflect the policies of Israeli governments for generations. Anyone who wants to access the budget data and understand for the first time the fine print and know how much money the government has budgeted for education,What was invested in security and how much they added to health - more than welcome to be a partner in the experience. "
