Also the tax on one-time payments in preparation for a petition: 'A kind of punishment for the Haredi sector''

November 17, 2021   

Struggle pursues struggle: Following the apparent, at least partial, success - in a petition submitted to the High Court of Justice against the cancellation of the "daycare" subsidy for children of Abrechim families, submitted by the "Truth for Yaakov" organization and others - the organization is launching another struggle against the high taxation that the Ministry of Finance has imposed on disposable utensils, a taxation that is directly aimed at the Haredi sector, which uses a particularly high amount of disposable products. It's unimaginable: injury, hunger, and thirst • So how should mice be caught? Employers can receive a financial incentive of up to NIS 22,250. How? Enter Everyone adopts one vaccinated person: Have you already convinced a friend, neighbor, or relative?    Attorney Zalman Black, who represents Emet LeYaakov as well as institutions, organizations and entertainment venues, sent a warning letter to Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Finance Committee Chairman MK Alex Kushnir, claiming that the order to impose a purchase tax of 11 shekels per kilogram on disposable products was issued at short notice and without examining alternatives, such as encouraging biodegradable products and separating plastic waste from the trash. It was also claimed that the tax applies to approximately 61% of the plastics market, including institutions, hospitals and assisted living facilities that are required to use sterile products to prevent the transmission of diseases. In addition, it was claimed that the order in question was issued without benefit or justification and that it mainly harms the weaker sections of society. Equally bad is the situation of the institutions that "feed hundreds and thousands of people at each meal, and are forced to provide the food in disposable containers." Emphasis is also placed on the fact that the utensils from institutions and households, which constitute the majority of use in Israel, are not found on the beaches, and on the contrary, those who use the beaches and parks will probably not use glassware. Attorney Black complains that the haste in which the order was drafted prevented it from being written in an appropriate manner, and from addressing or weighing the costs and environmental damage caused by glassware that harms the environment during mining, smelting and transportation to Israel, as well as the cost of washing in the dishwasher, which requires electricity, water and cleaning materials that harm the environment more than a single use. It is also claimed that the order in question violates the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty. The language of the order, which indicates the need to reduce the use of non-biodegradable disposable utensils, but at the same time not only does not encourage the use of biodegradable utensils such as paper utensils, but due to the coating of 3% plastic, taxes all paper utensils, with the result being a taxation of thousands of percent on biodegradable utensils compared to plastic, thus raising questions about the benefit that will be accrued from this. In conclusion, the letter ends with a warning - that if the request is not met, the organizations and institutions intend to apply to the relevant courts to continue the The struggle. The organization 'Truth for Yaakov' stated: "The taxation is blatantly aimed at the Haredi sector as a type of punishment on behalf of the Minister of Finance, since it has no benefit for the environment, as has been clarified, and on the other hand, it is clear that the additional task of washing dishes in families with children will place even more burden on the shoulders of the parents, an unnecessary burden intended solely to harm them. "The simple proof that the state itself does not think that the tax will benefit the environment is the fact that the Treasury calculates the additional taxation as future income for the state, meaning that it is convinced that the public will continue to purchase disposables in the same quantity as before.".