Liberman says Haredi coalition demands would spur tax revolt

Outgoing treasurer argues Netanyahu's government would bifurcate the people between those who serve in the army and pay taxes, and those who don’t
Moran Azulay|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
Outgoing Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday protested what he considered far-reaching concessions by Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party in government negotiations with ultra-Orthodox factions, and warned that complying with their demands would lead to a "tax revolt."
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • "The minimum estimate of what was promised to them in the agreements is NIS 20 billion ($5.8 billion)," Liberman said. "Funding of institutions that do not teach core subjects would require an extra NIS 6 million in budgeting. These promises made to Haredi parties will lead to a tax revolt."
    3 View gallery
    אביגדור ליברמן
    אביגדור ליברמן
    Avigdor Liberman
    (Photo: Amit Shabi)
    So far, Likud had struck up agreements with Otzma Yehudit, Noam, and the Religious Zionist Party. Talks with ultra-Orthodox parties United Torah Judaism and Shas are still ongoing.
    Liberman argued that, despite the freshly-inked agreements, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is dividing civilians into two categories — those who get educated, serve in the military and pay taxes; and those who don't work and don't serve.
    3 View gallery
    Avigdor Liberman and Benjamin Netanyahu
    Avigdor Liberman and Benjamin Netanyahu
    Avigdor Liberman and Benjamin Netanyahu
    (Photo: Yoav Dudkovitch, Alex Kolomoisky)
    "As of today, there is a group in Israel of 175,000 yeshiva students aged 16 to 67, and 90% of them are do-nothings," said the Yisrael Beiteinu chief. "Billions of shekels are spent on liabilities to them that include allowances, food stamps, and additional issues."
    Liberman added that "people are tired of being pushed around," and that while he does not support a tax revolt, he believes some kind of tex resistance is "simply an inevitability."
    Coming off another irate screed against Netanyahu and Haredi factions, the treasurer also attacked soon-to-be former Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
    3 View gallery
    בני גנץ ויאיר לפיד
    בני גנץ ויאיר לפיד
    Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz
    (Photo: Shaul Golan)
    "I also have plenty of criticism for Lapid and Gantz, trying to make nice with the Haredi parties," he stated. "The closer we get to Shas and United Torah Judaism — the farther we get from God … These are not negotiations, this is extortion."
    Meanwhile, outgoing Justice Minister Gidon Sa'ar urged President Isaac Herzog to reject Netanyahu's request to extend his deadline to announce a new government.
    "Netanyahu is trying to deal with personal issues and small-minded considerations about the incoming coalition. That's not what the extension is for," he said.
    3Comments
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    2.
    Avigdor Liberman is 100% correct....
    Avigdor Liberman is 100% correct, however, if this continues, there will be worse than a tax revolt to contend with. Unfortunately, time and time again the ultra-orthodox they have been proven to be liars, fraudsters, cheats and hypocrites. And they will certainly continue with their duplicitous, ignorant, mean-spirited lives, until they are stopped or constrained. Note how they are very careful to keep their followers uninformed and ignorant. Don’t worry, the internet will ultimately fix that, however hard they try to stop it. And before the pathetic wailing of “nazis, nazis” and “anti-semites”, none of which is correct and which we always hear from haredi voices (another example of their disgraceful behaviour), remember they are always the most deeply unpopular communities. They are increasingly despised and not just in Israel. It is exactly the same in the US, South America, Europe, UK. Wherever they are, they are eventually, and passionately, disliked. Instead of giving out mints to the sick and dying, knowingly getting on a bus when diagnosed with Corona, extorting the poor and weak in their own societies, knowingly protecting the sexual deviants and criminals that are within their own communities, and bending, twisting, defrauding any possible regulation to their own selfish demands….the ultra-orthodox need to start looking at themselves a bit more realistically. For once. And not just blame everyone else. Unlikely, I know… These s0o-called religious people are an embarrassment to Israel as a country, and an embarrassment to the Jewish religion as a whole. They are basically Polish, Lithuanian, east European…cults of only a few hundred years ago. The Jewish religion is over 5,700 years old!! But they are the self-appointed rulers of a religion, laws, kashrut and courts, for which they exact a huge price from wider society. And one which is about to increase exponentially. Who put them in charge of the Jewish religion? Who made them the ones to decide?? It’s not like putting the Jewish religion into safe, caring, trustworthy hands. Far from it!!!! Israel would be a better, happier, stronger, more progressive, more successful and better respected country without these religious fraudsters. Let them go somewhere else and be schnorrers. Ever wondered where anti-semitism in Europe came from? Look at the behaviour by ultra-orthodox Jews and you will find your answer. Many will try to disagree, but it is the truth. Everyone knows it is the truth.
    shalom| 12.06.22
    50
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    Spot on
    Brilliant post couldn't agree more
    Retz| 12.07.22
    20
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    1.
    There he goes again
    Trying to undermine the elected government. Trying to fan the flames of hatred against the religious and harness the power it creates. It’s Lieberman doing what he does.
    David| 12.06.22
    13
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""