The Finance Minister could defy the government's decision to implement the plan immediately.
A struggle between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On may result in the implementation of the pension fund safety net being delayed by 45 days. This delay will occur even though the government decided today to implement the pension safety net immediately.
The delay will be because the Ministry of Finance has 45 days in which to prepare a detailed plan for the safety net, which must be approved by the Knesset Finance Committee. Although the delay is technical, supporters of the pension fund safety net fear that the Ministry of Finance, which has already been playing for time on the issue, will use this as an excuse to - in the words of Knesset Finance Committee chairman Avishay Braverman "drag their feet."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 14, 2008
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