The government approved the state budget and the law of settlements for 2023-2024 (Walla system!)
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented today (Tuesday) the state budget items approved by the government last week.
"Even in the economic field, as in other fields, we need to manage together with disputes that did not start yesterday and will not end tomorrow," said the minister.
"We did not breach the budget frameworks. A good word for the Prime Minister and the ministers - there is no minister who does not want to advance his plans - the ministers showed responsibility and voted in favor of the budget."
According to Smotrich, as part of the budget, the government will invest in growth engines for factories, high-tech and technology advancement, while trying not to interfere with the private market.
In addition, the minister claimed that "we inherited a complex salary agreement to say the least on the basis of 2023, it takes away billions of shekels".
He then added: "I'm a free market person, we don't like to interfere in the economy. All countries know that we need to create a competitive environment and increase supply and prices. We'll do it in the food and car markets, I don't believe that there will be a single member of the Knesset who will raise a finger against such reforms,
Last week, the government approved the state budget, which will amount to NIS 484 billion in 2023, and NIS 514 billion in 2024.
The budget passed without opposition, except for Tourism Minister Haim Katz, who boycotted the vote in protest of the cuts in his office and the cancellation of the VAT exemption for tourism, which is part of the Arrangements Law. Now, the budget will go to the Knesset, where it is planned to pass the first reading by the end of next month.
"I don't believe there will be a member of the Knesset who will oppose the reforms."
Semtorich (photo: Avi Rokah)
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gabir, who demanded an addition of NIS 14 billion to his ministry's budget, was proud of the addition of nine and defined it as a "tremendous achievement for the ministry and the police."
According to him, the addition will be used, among other things, for the establishment of a national guard, the recruitment of thousands of policemen, prison guards and firefighters and the raising of the policemen's and prisons' radio station.
According to the Ministry of Education, the ministry's budget will amount to NIS 84 billion in each of the coming years, compared to approximately NIS 70 billion in 2022.
The budget includes, among other things, plans to reduce social disparities, NIS 2.5 billion for special education and plans to strengthen the status of school principals and teachers.
Further to the Likud's election promise of free education for ages 0-3, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added to the budget proposal a proposal for a resolution to promote free education for ages 2-3.
The proposal is not budgeted within the budget, and states only that the government undertakes to promote the program, and that the budget and standards for its operation will be determined later between the Ministry of Education and the Treasury.
Minister Kish ordered to quickly prepare for the construction of several models that would test the implementation methods of the plan, which according to the estimate will be budgeted at more than a billion shekels in the first year alone.
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Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel)
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The Ministry of Health's budget includes, among other things, the expansion of the mental health program, increasing the addition to the health basket to 650 million shekels for the following years as well, and plans to increase the number of beds in the hospitalization wards in the hospitals.
According to the ministry's announcement, former minister Aryeh Deri was personally involved in the negotiations.
The budget of the Ministry of Energy is expected to be NIS 1.36 billion, which will be invested, among other things, in energy efficiency, in electric transportation, in preparing the domestic gas industry for crisis situations.
Earlier that week, Economy Minister Nir Barkat said: "I met with the high-tech people and they are very worried, we support the legal reform, but there are risks. They are ultra-Orthodox."
He added that "when you sit down to negotiate between the parties, you have to understand that there is responsibility at the end, and even if we don't get all our lust in our hands - it's not bad."
According to Yeshiva sources, Barkat asked Chief Economist at the Ministry of Finance Shira Greenberg and Bank of Israel Governor Amri Yaron if the high-tech concerns were justified, and Greenberg replied: "It could snowball. I don't know how much the move will hurt the economy, but there is a significant danger."
According to the sources, Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron also warned of a collapse and said that a crisis could erupt in an instant.
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the state budget