The Cabinet will convene on Wednesday to approve the state budget. The meeting is scheduled to last six hours, though many believe it will blow past its allotted time.
Next Tuesday, ahead of the meeting, the budget will be presented to the socioeconomic cabinet which will then hold a single marathon session instead of the two previously planned to assure the ministers are fully briefed on the components of the budget and the economic plan.
Overnight, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon agreed that the decisive meeting on the approval of the state budget would take place on Monday.
Meanwhile, ministers some of whom learned of the meeting's new date from a "Globes" report were angered by the change and complained that they would not have enough time to study the material beforehand.
Before the latest decision, many government officials believed the budget meeting would not be held before Thursday, while opposition sources felt the budget was far from final.
However, as "Globes" reported on Wednesday, the Finance Ministry has nearly concluded the budget, except for the defense budget which will likely be decided by the end of Thursday. Finance officials expect that the wide cuts and the decision to delay the sales tax exemptions on basic goods will elicit resistance among the ministers, but Kahlon and Netanyahu are convinced that a solid majority will vote in favor of passing the budget.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 30, 2015
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2015