Netanyahu: We’ve already lowered gas taxes 4 times

Gas taxes have been lowered four times in the past year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the opening of a cabinet meeting on Sunday morning, adding that the government had no control over the price of gas.

Addressing the last-minute decision made by his office and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, cutting gas taxes for the second time in as many months, Netanyahu said that he’s pleased a responsible solution was found.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel doesn’t control the price of oil, which has been on the rise as a result of international sanctions on the Iranian regime.

“The price of gasoline is rising all over the world, in all countries,” he said. “What we can do is to try and ease the burden on citizens in a responsible and measured way, and this is what we are doing.”

The government has cut the gas tax a total of 80 agorot per liter in the past year.

Revenues from the gas tax fund a number of security projects, such as the border fence with Egypt and more Iron Dome anti-missile batteries, as well as social-civil needs like subsidized education and support for the elderly, Netanyahu said.

With the tax break, government ministries will be forced to cut 1 percent from their budgets.

Energy and Water Resources Minister Uzi Landau praised the move to lower the tax, but said the government needed to look further ahead.

“There are more price rises expected in the next two months,” he said. “The government should look into a long-term solution instead of waking up each time and plastering over [the issue].”

Netanyahu rejected recent calls to increase government spending in order to offset various price hikes, saying that anyone suggesting more money be spent at the same time tax collection is cut “lacks responsibility and basic financial knowledge.”