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About time. Cohen
Photo: Haim Zach

Public Housing Bill passes first reading

Bill first submitted in 1999, repeatedly postponed due to Financial Arrangements Act. New amendment calls for up to 90% discount for public housing residents

The Public Housing Bill finally passed its first Knesset reading Tuesday. The bill was first submitted to the House in 1999, but has since been repeatedly postponed due to various amendments to the Financial Arrangements Act.

 

The bill was reintroduced to the Knesset by MK Ran Cohen (Meretz-Yahad) and MK Yoram Marciano (Labor-Meimad) and calls for public housing residents to be able to buy their apartments from the State with up to a 90% discount.

 

The new bill was supported by 52 MKs, with 25 opposing it. The bill requires the support of over 50 MKs in each of its reading in order to pass; since its estimated cost to the State may reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

 

The Treasury estimates that should Cohen and Marciano's bill pass, some 15,000 housing unites will be sold almost immediately.

 

"This bill has been put off again and again by the various governments because of coalitional considerations. Perhaps it is the instability of the current coalition that has finally enabled the MKs to be socially responsible," said Cohen.

 

Technically, the bill will remain "frozen" until January 2009, unless the Finance Ministry will be able to extend its suspended status as part of the 2009 Arrangements Act.

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.17.08, 14:50
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