A fierce battle between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport over the planned cuts to the Ministry of Transport totaling NIS 7.4 billion over the next three years. This was done within the framework of amendments to the budget and adjustments to the needs of the war.
At the center of the controversy is the "transportation justice" reform that the Ministry of Finance seeks to abolish. As part of the reform, a 50% reduction in public transportation prices was planned for residents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods ranked 5-1 in the Central Bureau of Statistics' Peripheral Index. The "Transportation Justice" reform was supposed to come into effect this year, and is considered Transportation Minister Regev's flagship reform. Those around her say she won't be willing to cut back on the periphery.
Will the reform wait until 2027?, Photo: Illustration: Joshua Yosef
"We understand the need to cut back in the wake of the war. But it is inconceivable that the cuts will come at the expense of disadvantaged populations," her associates say. On the other hand, the Ministry of Finance says that this is a time of war and that there will be a variety of cuts in a wide range of government ministries, and the most obvious thing to do at this time is at least not to distribute new benefits that are not related to the war.
Cancellations from Kiryat Ata to Gush Etzion
It should be noted that today the price of a "monthly-free" ticket in the periphery is 99 NIS. In addition to the cancellation of the "transportation justice" reform, the Ministry of Finance is seeking to postpone the start of the implementation of many projects, thereby reducing the Ministry of Transport's development budget for 2024-2027 by a total of NIS 2.4 billion. Among other things, the Ministry of Finance wishes to postpone the implementation of the following projects: construction of the Kiryat Ata Metronit, Route 60 – Al Arrub bypass – Bnei Na'im; carrier interchange; Atlit Interchange; Issawiya Interchange; Route 60 – Elazar Junction – Gush Junction; Highway 45 – Quarry Road; Highway 85 – Nahal Amud interchange; Highway 781 – Gilam Interchange; Atarot Interchange and the Metrofen Project. The Ministry of Finance says that apart from the obvious need for budgets, the economy suffers from a severe shortage of manpower, and therefore these projects will be postponed for these reasons anyway.
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