The property tax storm in Beitar Illit came to a good (or bad, depending on who you ask) end last night.
For residents, this is of course bad news. After all, no one likes to hear about property tax increases. But it seems that the parties that make up the coalition have realized that they have no choice – and have decided to support the increase.
This agreement was preceded by cross-party deliberation: on Saturday night, consultations were held in Shas and Degel HaTorah, and finally it was decided to support the measure decided by the municipality, whose budget was recently supported by a consultant, on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior.
A few days ago, a resident of the Tamar neighborhood on Hill B sent a letter to council members, asking them not to support the measure: "As you know, there is a trend among officials in the Beitar Illit municipality who want to raise property tax rates in the city, and raise this at the upcoming city council meeting, where the members are supposed to approve the extraordinary increase of approximately 9% for residences and approximately 22% for businesses.
""This is indeed part of a trend prevalent in many authorities in the country, but there are also authorities that do everything in their power to avoid harming the well-being of residents and to leave the rate unchanged. Even those authorities that are forced to increase property tax rates do so moderately and sparingly. We expect the Beitar Illit Municipality to act in the same way.".
Moreover, there is public criticism of the municipality's financial conduct on various levels. This conduct is particularly prominent in the years when, unfortunately, the Torah banner is not active in the city's leadership. It is not possible to impose the burdensome task of reducing the municipality's deficit on the public of young men, who are already suffering from various forms of harassment by government officials.
The Degel HaTorah movement was established – and exists – to bring about the well-being of the people of the Torah. Veterans of the branch certainly remember the resounding call of the movement's founder, Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, at the founding conference in 1989. These were his words, which were accepted as the movement's "founding charter": "We must place before our eyes the world of the Torah, which today lives in abject conditions, of poverty, of hardship in daily living. Hundreds and thousands of Abrahim Kollel devote their lives to the Torah, and many of them suffer the shame of hunger. We will place this at the forefront of our attention.".
Well, our esteemed friends, members of the council, please put the young men and women of this city first in your thoughts.
We hereby request that the branch members urgently convene in order to hear from the representatives of Degel HaTorah, members of the city council, about the above-mentioned plan in its entirety, and if this is indeed the case, to discuss and exhaust every possible way to thwart and minimize any harm to the dear Torah people, the residents of our city, the city of Torah people.".
Various elements in the Torah Banner hoped that Shas would act to prevent the 'evil of the decree', after all, this is a social party that is supposed to take care of the weaker sections. When that didn't happen, everyone was forced to align themselves with the decision.
Last night, as mentioned, the city council approved the property tax ordinance. The only objection was registered by opposition member Menachem Zeida. Council member Yaki Hershkop, who is currently abroad, also sent a letter of support for the proposal.
Earlier, Mayor Meir Rubinstein sent a personal letter to residents, in which he attempted to explain the step he was forced to take:
""Recently, the Beitar Illit municipality management unanimously decided to increase the city's property tax rates for residential and commercial purposes. This increase, despite being a small amount, is not easy for us, the city leaders, as we are doing this for the first time since the city was founded.
Over the years, the Beitar Illit Municipality has acted with a generous hand, an open heart, and a willing soul, generously supporting educational and public institutions, synagogues and communities, large and small events. All of this is based on the worldview that the municipality's role is to provide as much as possible to its residents.
Also on the issue of building permits, we made it very easy in an unprecedented manner, helping residents build and rent, make a living and profit, expand and grow, despite the heavy burden that accumulated on the city's infrastructure and required expensive investments by the municipality.
However, Beitar is not a rich city, and the city's location in the Etzion Bloc - far from the center of the country - also makes it very difficult to bring in employers and large employment centers, despite the great efforts we are making in this regard, including a special effort these days.
Moreover, about seventy-five percent of the city's residents benefit from a discount on property taxes. Even those who pay their property taxes in full do so at the lowest rate in the country. The property tax rate, according to the Ministry of Interior's "minimum-maximum" table, ranges from 32 NIS to 113 NIS. Beitar Illit is almost at the bottom line - 36 NIS, and this is even before discounts are given to most city residents, a situation that leaves almost no revenue for the municipality.
God forbid we complain about the discounts the municipality provides on property taxes totaling 15 million shekels a year, after all, our pride is in the Torah-working Abrahams and the families with the blessings of children. On the other hand, it is imperative to understand that there is a price for this. We cannot continue to provide for residents when there is almost no income.
In light of this, and in light of the Ministry of the Interior's demand to increase property tax revenues, the municipal administration decided to increase the property tax rate by a very low amount, from 26.58 NIS per square meter to 39.9 NIS per square meter.
Pay attention to the numbers: this is a low increase, with a 100 square meter apartment having an additional payment for those receiving the 50% discount of NIS 2.70 per month and up to NIS 27 per month for those who do not receive a discount at all. For less than these three shekels, the people who make a living from the medon are trying to stir up a war - the three shekel war is not a concern for the city's residents, nor for their well-being or their money. Foreign goals and factors are the ones stirring the pot. Do not be used as playthings in their hands.".
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