Lapid allocates NIS 52m to religious institutions

After Finance Minister Yair Lapid said he voted against paternity leave because there was no budget for it, the Treasury has found money for other, mostly religious purposes.

Two days after Minister of Finance Yair Lapid explained that he voted against paternity leave because there was no budget for it, the Ministry of Finance has found money for other, mostly religious purposes: the Knesset Finance Committee today approved NIS 14 million for the Jewish Identity Administration, which is being established under the coalition agreement with Habayit Hayehudi.

The additional funding comes two weeks after the Ministry of Finance transferred NIS 5 million to this institution. The Finance Committee also approved a NIS 37.8 million transfer to the Ministry of Religious Affairs for miscellaneous purposes. Lapid also agreed to cancel a NIS 50 million cut for foreign yeshiva students, at the request of Finance Committee chairman MK Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi).

The Finance Committee also approved a NIS 536.3 million commitment to rent space in a new government office building for 22 years, after which the building will be transferred to government ownership; NIS 2.1 million for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories; NIS 170 million for the Ministry of Tourism for environmental development in the Dead Sea area, upgrading the Eilat promenade, a tourism center, the construction and expansion of hotels, the Acre Lighthouse parking lot, and other projects; NIS 20 million for the Ministry of Housing and Construction to update public housing and NIS 10 million for planning land reserves; and NIS 6 million to develop the Beersheva Old City.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on October 29, 2013

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2013

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