From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 30, 2024
Smotrich accuses Ben Gvir of populism for threatening to vote against key budget bill over ministry budget cuts
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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"
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accuses fellow cabinet Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of “populism” after his far-right Otzma Yehudit threatens to continue voting against budget-related bills to protest cuts to Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry.
Speaking with the Kan public broadcaster, Smotrich dismisses Ben Gvir’s complaints, stating that he had “never asked for anything that he did not end up receiving.”
Smotrich states that police salaries have already increased and that Ben Gvir is setting himself up as “Santa Claus” granting gifts, while vilifying the Finance Ministry.
If Ben Gvir follows through on his threat and blocks the Trapped Profits Law, “it will certainly not be possible to pay salaries to the police, and it will certainly not be possible to finance the costs of the war,” Smotrich continues, adding that the war is costing the government more than a quarter trillion shekels ($68 billion) “and we all have to finance it.”
The reduction in funding to the National Security Ministry is not specific, but is part of cuts being made across the board.
Blocking the Trapped Profits Law will only benefit “the richest people in the country, who for years have taken advantage of a loophole in the law and evaded paying more than 50% of the tax” that they should be paying, Smotrich argues.
The Times of Israel Community.