Northern communities to strike Wednesday
Confrontation line communities, including education system, to launch strike in protest of planned reform in distribution of tax attributes. Entrances to Kiryat Shmona to be blocked; residents to go on protest march
"Our struggle is similar to the struggle of Sderot and the western Negev communities. This should be a joint battle in order to change the direction, otherwise we will only be left with the Tel Aviv state and lose the periphery," said Aharon Valenci, head of the Upper Galilee Regional Council.
The communities which will take part in the strike include Maalot Tashiha, Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi, Metula, Peki'in, Kfar Vradim, Yesod Hama'ala, Hurfeish, Gush Halav and the regional councils Mateh Asher, Ma'aleh Yosef, Upper Galilee, Mevo'ot Hermon and Merom Hagalil.
The city of Akko will also go on strike, although it is not defined as a confrontation line community. The city's residents are entitled to a tax attribute of 13%, and the Treasury plans to cut this perk by half.
The one-day strike will include all education institutions, excluding special education. Some commercial services will also be stopped and local authorities will not provide any service.
At 2 pm, the heads of the communities will begin marching from Metula towards Kiryat Shmona, where the entrances to the city will be blocked to traffic.
'An irrational proposal'
According to the Tax Authority's proposal, the tax attributes in dozens of communities will be cut by half, while dozens of other communities will receive perks at a similar rate. In several communities, considered well-established, the tax attribute of 13% will be completely cancelled.
Metula Mayor Jacob Katz said Tuesday, "The Tax Authority's proposal is irrational. The committee appointed to look into this issue failed to analyze the right parameters, and the result will be that dozens of people from the middle and upper class will leave and young couples won't join the communities."
Kiryat Shmona's Deputy Mayor Sami Malul said, "This document is clearly the last straw. Not only is the Israeli government not keeping the promises it made after the Second Lebanon War, but now it is trying to hit the soft belly of the confrontation line communities.
"We welcome the decision to benefit additional communities, but this cannot be done by taking money from the poor man's lamb."
Ahiya Raved contributed to this report
