Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich addressed today (Thursday), at the ceremony to extend the red line in Rishon LeZion, the banks' threats to cancel benefits for consumers due to the tax the state intends to collect from them.
""This week I announced my intention to impose a tax on banks in the amount of 15%. It is not possible that those who profited from the interest rate increase at the expense of Israeli citizens and did not lend a shoulder to the war will benefit from the interest rate increase without any efficiency gains on their part," Smotrich emphasized.
He added: "I saw a threat from the banks that they would cancel the benefits for consumers if the tax is indeed imposed on them. So I want to tell the banks from here: If benefits for consumers are canceled, I will double the tax from 15 percent to 30 percent.".
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At the national education conference of the Bnei Akiva Yeshivot and Ulpan Center and Makor Rishon, Smotrich was asked about the Qatargate affair.
""Qatar is a terrorist state, supports terrorism, sponsors terrorism. I opposed the sending of delegations to Qatar all along. It is largely responsible for what happened to Hamas on the eve of October 7th and it must be condemned and delegitimized," Smotrich replied.
He said, "If there are corrupt people within the Prime Minister's Office, who during the war worked for Qatar, they should be condemned to the pillar of shame and sit behind bars for many, many years. It is terrible and horrible. I am shocked by the correspondence that was published.".
