Devoted Jews and heads of Torah institutions, who are
constantly under attack for so-called "chareidi blackmail,"
will likely find the following story of interest.
Several weeks ago the Bahai religious organization
celebrated the opening of its Bahai Gardens, part of the
realization of the vision forged by the bizarre religion
centered in Haifa and Acco. In an enthusiastically
sympathetic report Ha'aretz wrote that the initiative
was realized "without a cent of taxpayers' money," but
meanwhile the financial newspaper Globes revealed
that in fact, the Bahais have received extensive benefits
from the Finance Ministry.
Among the 4,000 celebrants who took part in the main
ceremony were Finance Ministry Director General Avi Ben
Bassat and a lineup of top ministry officials, wrote
Globes, adding, "If I had organized the ceremony, I
would have made a special note of thanks to express the
gratitude the Bahai community owes the Israeli Ministry of
Finance. To be more precise, I would have presented the
directors general of the past decade with a giant bouquet of
flowers, saving the biggest bouquets for Shimon Peres and
former deputy prime minister Moshe Shachal, for one simple
reason: during Peres' time in office he granted the Bahai
Gardens project an exemption from all indirect taxes (such
as purchase tax and VAT). This value of this tax break is
estimated at NIS 250 million ($60 million)--a gift by Peres
to Bahai tourist operations in Haifa."
According to Globes, this story has been ripening
slowly for the past 15 years and now the fruits it has borne
will fill their baskets for a long time to come. The
following is a brief summary of events:
During the mid-1980s Peres headed the unity government as
per the rotation agreement signed with Likud leader Yitzhak
Shamir. At the end of two years in office, Peres left his
post to make room for Yitzhak Shamir and took up the post of
Finance Minister. Meanwhile, in a totally separate series of
events, of course, the Bahais were busy developing the
tourism economic powerhouse they run in "red" Haifa. Haifa
has long been a Labor town, which explains the Bahai's
ability to lobby the Finance Ministry effectively while it
was under Labor Party control.
Meanwhile the Bahais began to plan their tremendous garden
project. At the recent opening ceremonies it was reported
that total project cost a cool one billion shekels -- about
$250 million. The project was mostly funded through
contributions from around the world and implemented with
volunteer labor. The Bahais asked the Finance Minister for
an exemption from indirect taxes, promising that their
project would transform the Carmel region into a tourist
magnet.
In 1987 the Finance Ministry decided to grant the Bahais an
exemption from these taxes for ten years, at which point the
two sides would negotiate a five-year extension. "As the ten-
year period was nearing its end, the Bahais hired Attorney
Moshe Shachal. Shachal, it will be recalled, is considered
particularly close to Peres, who was the steam engine behind
the idea of granting the tax exemption for the project. With
a legal counsel like Shachal, the Bahais managed to drag out
the discussion over back taxes for three years. The Finance
Ministry didn't know whether to laugh or cry in reaction to
the delay tactics employed by the Bahais and their skillful
advisors. Finance ministers came and went and the Bahai
problem remained."
And what does the future hold in store? asks the financial
newspaper. "This exemption is due to expire at the end of
2002, but the Finance Ministry is whetting its sword for
head-to-head combat with the Bahais. Since last time they
drew out negotiations for three years, this time we will
wise up and begin the negotiations two years before the
expiration date, at the beginning of 2001. The main
negotiations will focus on the new project the Bahai
community is planning to build in Acco. Although it is not a
billion-shekel project, their scheme will be no less
sophisticated. The Bahais have met the Finance Ministry's
demand and have already submitted their basic plan for the
new project slated for construction in Acco. It's safe to
assume that this project will also be proclaimed a tourist
gemstone, with construction being funded through donated
labor and funds. But guess what happened: although the
negotiations were scheduled to begin in February-March, the
proceedings have yet to get underway, and here we are in the
middle of 2001 with an exemption of NIS 250 million ($60
million) for the past 15 years, and with no agreements for
the future . . . "
Yet another story about connections, looting the public
coffers and a racket that has nothing to do with
chareidim.
