His 2013 plan will destroy his elector`s confidence in him. And the following 2014 plan will probably cause his demission from the finance ministry. Well done Bibi. As for the next elections, Lapid risks to become: Lapid, who ?

Lapid should resign his seat, leave the Knesset and go home. This is what he does to his electorate? Anybody see a tax increase on bank profits? You know, those banks who have a cartel on bank fees and make hundreds of millions in profits every year? And with all this debt I'm still supposed to pay the electricity bill for 100,000 freeloading IEC workers? Nutz to him. Go home Lapid. You failed in your first test. We don't want to stick around for what's next.

Steinitz, Bibi's Poodle in Chief, broke the bank. He is a Minister. Lapid warned Bibi that if he falls, Bibi falls. So let's go Shelly's way, bring back the Bolsheviks, nationalize everything and continuing the route of the PIGS - Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece with Cyprus as a bonus! My only beef with Lapid, and I didn't vote for him, is that he is letting the corrupt Unions, crane drivers earn more than the Prime Minister and train drivers sit at home on "standby" will FULL and bonuses, squeeze his nuts! As for Shumli, yeah, well he is Nochi Dunkner's man in Labor and, like Bibi or not, his 2003 austerity plan worked until he gave the Haredim NIS61 billion! Now were are paying for it.

like his dad who was for civil marriages and when it came time to voting he abstained. "baby" lapid does not even have college degree and he can balance a budget??????????????????a sad story that this person is our finance minister.........

Lapids Ego after his surprise victory is now too high and the budget balance needs to come through taxes on trips to Europe and Thailand plus the USA unless security related and greater tax deductibility for stringently audited welfare organisations .jews who are capable ought spend money in Israel if they can afford trips abroad think of the elderly unwell and poor .

Blame the previous governments who fail in their duties!!! Shelly Yachimovich - SHUT UP!!! Lapid - I believe him and got the feeling that this time it's going to be different! Give him a chance!!

tomi lapid wanted cival marriages until it came for a vote.......... then he was afraid and abstained. for me anyone "next" to him is the s...n cr..

at the moment that he will be back to his old job , the first article , will be a very strong critic to the new finance ministry ...... Have you any doubt ? Or better than that , he will make like Ehud Barak and Bibi .... will leave to the States , and make speeches for $100.000 ....... Great business !!!!!

All those people who protested against the rise in basic prices (i.e. the cottage cheese revolution) were totally right. Israel is an elitist country, run by protexia. It is killing the average citizen. Unfortunately, the anti-Jewish basis of secular zionism is so deeply ingrained that the elitists can set up a puppet like Lapid. Rich elitist protexionairs are killing the country, their kids don't do army, especially not combat, and the government money th\at goes into promoting the technocratic elite makes the yeshiva stipend look like peanuts.

No, Lapid has not made nearly enough cuts where it counts, but the person to really blame for the mess is the leader of a party that has led a freeloading government for years - which the people keeps re-electing. How dare the P.M. spend 70,000 shekels a night for a hotel (let alone his ice cream budget)? Governments have stopped seeing that WE PAY for the things they're cutting while living like kings!! It's the typical attitude of a banana republic and when will the people learn that Netanyahu isn't in it for the people but for his personal power and gain. Get rid of HIM.

Trust the Chinese to outsmart Bibi. Once he landed, all hotel prices in China started charging tenfold. The same happens wherever Bibi goes, and if Sara goes with him the increase is twenty fold.

What is your alternative? It is nice to criticize and make sharp comments. Now please tell us your suggestion for solving the mess created by the previous governments?

Lapid was not elected by the "poor families" that Yehimovitch and Deri whine about. Lapid was elected by tax payers, people who see Shelly and Aryeh steal their hard earned money to give to parents who have more children then they can afford, lazy civil servants, big unions and banks. Lapid's voters will give him a chance because they understand that the deficit is a problem.

I saw the video of Shelly holding the diagram of the explosive financial device (ala Bibi) and referring to it as 'the bum'. The only 'bum' there was Shelly herself.

Seems you don't read the papers. Bibi's accommodation throughout the trip to China is paid for by the Chinese hosts. In the same manner Obama's accommodation in Israel was paid for by the Israeli government.

There are changes that need to be made but these seem to hit people that really need the money the hardest. In Israel there is a huge gap between the wealthy and the middle class. The middles class is slowly shrinking. If you live in the Merkaz and combines family income is 20k shekal and you have a few kids what is left after taxes? Also how many people are making 20. Five years ago that would have been plenty and if you have owned a house for 7+ years your sitting pretty but with all the price increases people will not make it. The real problem in israel is that the wages do not reflect the reality of cost of living. This is a Unionized country so anyone who is not union gets screwed big time. the whole tax and children stipend needs an overhaul. You need to take away stipends from everyone but give better tax break this should also be based on income levels and it should be given to men not just women. People who need help should be able to get welfare. At the end of the day like her or hate her Shelly is right on this the way it is purposed the people who need the money the most and are hard at work will be the ones who take the biggest hit. I am a capitalist and i do not believe in taxing the rich to death but since the rich in this country do not believe in paying a fair living wage then there taxes need to be raised and the working class taxes need to be lowered. If you look at job postings employers ask for the world but offer very little in return. I think overall Shelly does not know much about finance but i do believe her heart is very much in the right place and she does seem to practice what she preaches. Lapid is not a bad guy but at the end of the day he has no idea what he is doing and so he took out a re marker and started to cross things out without having an understanding of economics and how this will affect the economy.