Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Nir Barkat, who is tabbed to be the country's next Finance Minister if the Likud win's the upcoming March 2 general election, presented the party's economic plan on Sunday at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
The crux of the "The Barkat Plan" is lowering the costs of food and housing, and investing in the healthcare system.
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"Over the past decade we have transformed Israel into an economic power," Netanyahu said. "Now we are introducing another six significant reforms that Nir Barkat will spearhead as finance minister – in health, food, in terms of all the problems at hand. We will be among the five most advanced countries in the world. I advise you not to make jokes. We have a clear choice hear between winners and losers – a free economy or a Histadrut [labor federation] economy."
Within the framework of the economic plan presented by Netanyahu and Barkat, who is the former mayor of Jerusalem, food prices will fall sharply due to de-regularization and decreasing import taxes, dismantling centralization and monopolies, and massive support for the country's farmers. According to the plan, housing prices are also expected to drop through the wholesale release of state lands, a dramatically streamlined bureaucracy, lowering taxes on the purchase and sale of apartments and subsidizing mortgages for young couples.
Netanyahu and Barkat also intend to promote broad investments in the healthcare system, among other things by building four new hospitals, adding 700 new hospital beds per year, reducing workloads for medical staff and wait times for patients. The Galilee, Negev and communities in Judea and Samaria will be reinforced with 400,000 new jobs within the coming decade, and have access to the same level of services afforded to residents of the countries center.
The plan also calls for supporting small businesses by freezing arnona [property taxes] for five years, revolutionizing the business licensing system, and matching social benefits for independent business owners.
