I hope that Israelis will not spend time trying to tally the taxes this year's Olympic medalists – Artem Dolgopyiat, Linoy Ashram, Avishag Samberg and the judo team – will pay.
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The value of their contributions surpasses that of any international diplomatic work. The whole world witnessed their victories. The taxes they would pay on the monetary reward that comes with their medals is insignificant to Israel's economy. The government can easily exempt them from this particular tax, as it does with winners of the Israel Prize or the Nobel Prize.
In fact, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted this week that he would support a bill that would allow for such an exemption, adding that the government must step up its efforts in supporting athletes, artists, writers and scientists who bring pride to Israel.
It's time for the government to invest in our athletes properly.
One of the biggest scandals in sports facilities construction in Israel had to do with the construction of the swimming pool at the Wingate Institute, which provides Israeli athletes with the most advanced and well-equipped training equipment and facilities to prepare for the Olympics.
The original budget capped the building of the Wingate pool at 50 million shekels ($15.5 million). After years of delays, that amount almost doubled, and the pool, when finished, was lacking in several points, including accessbility for users with physical limitations.
The Culture and Sports Ministry announced this week that for the first time, government funding for sports would exceed 1 billion shekels ($310 million). And rightfully so.
Culture and Sports Minister Hili Tropper also said his ministry would allocate NIS 802 million ($249 million) over the next two years to upgrade and build sports facilities across the country.
Let's hope they deliver.
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