Protesters take to the streets over VAT hike

Hundreds of protesters took part in a Tel Aviv demonstration Saturday night to express their dismay at the increase of value-added tax from 17% to 18% as of Sunday.

Some 300 protesters gathered at the Habima plaza, following the Knesset’s approval of the VAT hike on Wednesday.

An additional rally took place in Haifa, as 200 protesters blocked roads in the city and chanted slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid.

Earlier Saturday, Labor party MK Micky Rosenthal harshly criticized the government’s financial plan, calling on Lapid to repeal the “scandalous” tax raise at once.

“Bibi [Netanyahu] destroyed the fabric of Israeli society and Yair Lapid finally buries any chance to rebuild it,” Rosenthal said at a cultural gathering in Ramat Gan.

“Finance Minister Lapid’s decision to raise the VAT by one percent gives way to the rapid march of two million citizens in Israeli society towards the bottom of the poverty line,” he added.

“If Lapid does not withdraw his plan, Israel will have to spend four times as much in order to return citizens back to their present situation,” Rosenthal continued. “Lapid should make sure to build long-range plans rather than just plugging budget holes, otherwise… we reach the collapse of society. There is no future without vision.”