To The Editor:
Sholom. Recently the Barak government proposed a sweeping
change to Israel's tax laws that, if passed, could be more
devastating against the yeshivas and their supporters, the
talmidei chachomim and Israel's poor, than anything
else yet proposed by the Leftists. Unfortunately many people
have been slow to wake up to evils of the Ben-basset tax
proposal, but I am glad to read in this week's English
Yated Ne'eman that your rabbonim are finally beginning
to wake up to the dangers.
First of all, the premise that workers would receive
significant savings on their income tax simply is not true.
The savings for most workers is minimal, only a very few
percentage points off the maximum tax rate, and for many
would be more than offset by the many new additional taxes
the proposal would impose.
The proposed tax on rents would impact very hard on the poor
and many avreichim, who would end up having to pay it,
one way or another. Cancellation of women's tax allowances
would also impact hard on those who learn full time and
depend on their wives' income to support themselves. The
taxes on savings and investment, local and foreign, would
first of all threaten the private support of many nonprofit
institutions, including shuls and yeshivas, by reducing
greatly the income from such investments, and also
discouraging them in the first place. Boruch Hashem,
there are now many olim who study full time and
support themselves (largely) from income from abroad; this
new proposal would force many either to go back to chutz
la'aretz or go to work.
In my own case, where I have until now donated much money to
the building of my wonderful kehilla, Beit Chatam of
Rechovot, the new taxes could preclude my being able to
contribute to them at the same level as before.
In short, the entire proposal is bad and should be blocked.
Already in several areas, in social reforms and help to the
unemployed, and in security areas and negotiations with the
"Palestinian" Arabs, the present Prime Minister has
repeatedly broken his campaign promises. Can he be trusted
with so sweeping an economic reform? I urge United Torah
Judaism to work to bring down this government as soon as
possible.
Sincerely,
Chaim Tzvi Felder
Rechovot
The Editor Replies:
We are happy to read this reader's thoughts. The committee
of Degel HaTorah has not yet issued any report with an
overall assessment of the effects of the reform on the
chareidi community, although members voiced criticism of
certain aspects, as noted in the article. In the meantime,
the Histadrut has forced the government to postpone the
implementation of the package.
