Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman’s restated his promise to compensate workers whose income has been affected by the current exchange with Gaza.
In a meeting on Monday with the heads of the Sderot, Ashkelon and Gaza Strip municipalities, Liberman said his commitment is to ensure fair compensation is granted to those deserving.
“Residents who have been absent from work in the past few days will receive compensation from the first day,” he said, and that anyone within the 40-kilometer range of risk of rocket fire from Gaza will be considered. “All those who failed to reach the workplace will receive full compensation.”
What did the Tax Authority do?
In response to the Gaza war, the Tax Authority has established a damage report hotline and website that received over 100 queries within 24 hours. Government representatives have also visited rocket crash sites in the South in order to assess damage and determine rightful compensation.
The Finance Ministry has filed a request for a budget of several hundred million shekels for the protection of Ashkelon, which Liberman expects will be passed quickly.
Liberman applauded Israel’s response to the emergency situation.
“The conduct of the State of Israel in recent days is an example of how an operation should be conducted,” he said. “The clear and unequivocal results of the operation will allow us a very long period of time to focus on creating economic levers.”
Also discussed during the meeting were the government’s intentions to continue encouraging Israeli population growth within the Gaza Strip’s surrounding area, which is among the fastest growing in the country.
“You see a lot of people and especially young families who come here in large numbers,” noted the minister. “Just in the last month another 700 new families moved to Sderot.”
Liberman highlighted his intention to advance Resolution 566, a government order to strengthen social resilience in Sderot and the surrounding area via a collection of tax benefits, special grants to municipalities and exemption from lease fees.