The Knesset on Tuesday approved a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for tax exemptions for official benefits that could exceed $150,000.
Coming at a time when Israel is grappling with a major economic crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic and Netanyahu standing trial on corruption charges, the decision came under heavy criticism from opposition lawmakers and media commentators.
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The Knesset Finance Committee approved his request Tuesday to grant retroactively tax exemptions on Netanyahu's state-covered expenses from 2009-2017. These expenses, which include some of the costs of maintaining Netanyahu's private house in the upscale coastal town of Caesaria, are usually treated as income under Israeli law.
Israeli opposition lawmakers blasted the committee for granting the tax rebates, both for the timing and the lack of transparency.
Yesh Atid MK Micky Levy, an opposition member of the committee, said "nobody knows exactly" how much Netanyahu will receive. He said it was "over half a million shekels," or nearly $150,000, but the committee had not received an exact list of the benefits that would be covered.
Levy called Netanyahu's new government "disconnected" from the public. "There are 800,000 people unemployed outside, and he wants a tax exemption."
Israeli media reported that the rebates amounted to as much as 1 million shekels, or almost $300,000, and included expenses for Netanyahu's private home and official vehicle. The Israel Tax Authority didn't disclose the exact sum or the breakdown of the expenses.
United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni, the committee chair, defended the decision on Israel Radio, saying, "It's a lot of money" that the prime minister shouldn't have to cover, he said. "He rides in an armored car, so he pays tax on it? This cannot be."
Netanyahu's Likud party issued a statement saying the prime minister was not asking for special treatment, adding that he pays taxes just like his predecessors.
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