.

NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Out of control spending, Israel increases taxes




Massive Tax Increases in Israel  -  Big Government is the same the world over
  • The government massively increases spending in order to buy votes.
  • Then the government screams "deficit" and increases taxes to cover the deficit they created.
  • And the Marxist re-distribution of wealth to buy votes with other people's money goes on and on.




The Big Government Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, surprised many this month by abruptly pushing through a platform of massive tax increases, including:

  • higher income taxes for top earners (job creators)
  • new levies on cigarettes and beer
  • raising the VAT tax from 16% to 17%

The bigger problem is Israel's increased government spending in recent years. Since lifting a fixed 1.7% cap on annual spending increases in 2010, government expenditures have ballooned, particularly for defense and social services reports the Los Angeles Times.
Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu

"What has me most concerned is the very rapid growth in expenditures," said Jonathan Katz, an economist at Leader Holdings and Investments in Tel Aviv. He said government spending so far this year was running nearly 9% above the same period last year.

Unemployment hit 7.2% in June, up from about 5.5% a year earlier. Exports, which make up a big chunk of Israel's economy, recorded their steepest decline in three years during the second quarter, according to the Israel Export Institute.

Israel's budget deficit has doubled over the last year, leading economists to predict that the government won't meet its 2013 goal of keeping the deficit at 3% of GDP. The Bank of Israel issued a stern warning this month that missing the deficit target could erode international confidence in Israel's fiscal policy.

Special government perks for West Bank settlers added $270 million more, according to Israeli media. And in response to last year's nationwide social protests, the government increased spending on education and housing.

"The government has written a lot of checks for the future, and the future is here," said Hebrew University economist Omer Moav.


No comments: