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Sunday, May 31, 2026
Lawmakers set to vote tomorrow on lowering tax exemption for purchases from abroad back to $75
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Lawmakers are set to vote tomorrow on lowering the import tax exemption of $130 established earlier this year, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says in a statement, warning consumers that “if you want to order a product from abroad cheaply, do it today.”
“As you may recall, in my capacity as finance minister, I raised the exemption amount from $75 to $150 just a few months ago. A group of Knesset members who, for some reason, prefer to support the tycoons who profit off the backs of Israeli citizens, voted against it,” Smotrich declares in a video message posted on X, in which he derides his opponents on the issue as “communists.”
“In response, I updated the exemption to $130. Now, they’re trying to take even that away from you. Pay close attention to which of your elected public officials are acting on your behalf and which prefer that you pay more.”
In defiance of the Knesset, Smotrich signed an order in late February expanding the value-added tax exemption on personal imports from $75 to $130, hours after lawmakers voted 59-25 to revoke his previous order, which raised the exemption from $75 to $150.
Lawmakers on Monday are slated to vote on Smotrich’s move. If they vote against it, the exemption limit would revert to $75.
The Times of Israel Community.