Trajtenberg Committee - Public Hearing

Summarized from the Globes newspaper, 28 August 11

The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights headed by Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, gathered today for its fifth session, during which it will continue to hear suggestions and ideas from the public.

The following is a list of public appeals that repeated themselves over and over:

- applying a new tax bracket of 49% for salaries over NIS 75,000 a month

- raising taxes on cigarettes and cancelling the tax free status of cigarettes in duty-free stores

- raising arnona (local property tax) for unoccupied apartments

- raising tax on gas guzzling cars, such as jeeps

- stricter punishment for tax evasion

- cancelling the TV fee

- recognizing mortgages for tax purposes

Dr. Avi Nov, a tax specialist, argued during the session not to raise taxation of the wealthy. Not only will raising taxation of the wealthy not do any good, it will even cause damage. Regarding real estate taxation, Nov said, There are many distortions in real estate tax, but I suggest that the committee not touch real estate taxation, since it is complicated, and this issue should be left for others.