A senior Finance Ministry official — the Deputy Director of the Budgets Division — publicly warned that the state cannot sustain funding the current scope of social services that subsidize the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle over time, according to a report published by The Zioneer.
A senior official in Israel's Finance Ministry, the Deputy Director of the Budgets Division, publicly stated that the state cannot continue funding social services that subsidize the ultra-Orthodox lifestyle over the long term. The statement, reported by The Zioneer, highlights growing fiscal tensions as the government weighs budget priorities amid rising defense spending and a growing debt burden. The official did not specify which programs would be affected or propose a timeline for any potential cuts. The remark comes amid a long-running policy debate over state support for full-time Torah study for many Haredi men, which economists say imposes a heavy fiscal cost. As The Zioneer previously reported, the Finance Ministry has also opposed expanding tax benefit proposals for settlements, citing their ineffectiveness and strain on state coffers.
2 developments
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