The budget of the President's Residence was NIS 55 million in 2013, of which NIS 54.9 million was spent, according to a document the President's Residence sent to the Movement for the Freedom of Information. The data is also available at the Ministry of Finance
The Accountant General has not yet confirmed the figures from the President's Residence. The President's Residence says that the largest item in its budget is salaries, at NIS 18 million, including overtime, duty shifts, and reimbursements. Another NIS 5.7 million was spent on hiring students and guards and NIS 1.6 million on contract workers.
According to the Accountant General, the president's salary performance was NIS 692,000 in 2012, or NIS 57,600 a month.
The President's Residence second largest budget item is operations, which totaled NIS 11 million in 2013. This includes receptions for foreign leaders, safety and security checks, and routine costs. The president's foreign travel totaled NIS 8.2 million in 2013, half of which the President's Residence emphasizes is for security at the demand of the Israel Security Agency.
Safety and security expenses weigh on the President's Residence budget. It says that, on top of the expenses, there is a cost of NIS 4.2 million for "security equipment and infrastructures pursuant to Israel Security Agency requirements." A breakdown of the budget by category, rather than by item, shows that safety and security costs amount to NIS 14 million.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 12, 2014
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