PM Netanyahu is one of the biggest money burning politicians world wide. A flight to the USA costs the israeli tax payer more then one million US$. FM Lieberman too, costs our country too much: every shekel is wasted on him. Then the country is wasting funds on haredim and extremist in the settlements.

Why cut back? Just "ask" Uncle Sam to reach deeper into his pockets. We're very clever as a tribe. We can manage to convince him that it's for his own benefit. Just repeat the following mantra: shared values and enemies, only democracy in the Middle East, Holocaust . . .

Either people who are physically able to work, go to work or starve. There are plenty of people that work off the books and pay no taxes,but they collect unemployment. Stop child allowances to families that did not serve in the security forces. Have those that did not serve pay double the tax rate.And have them pay a defense tax on each member of the family. Cut the amount of government "workers" and have those that are still employed do an 8 hour day, 5 days a week.

Or we could just stop paying Haredim to do nothing all day and use that money...

Guess those nasty left wing secular people will have to fund their so called life style.

to those who GIVE NOTHING to the country but leech of it! Stop pouring money into illegal settlements in the territories to satisfy the right wing extremists. Rather strengthen the infrastructure of places like Ariel which might be part of Israel in some distant "peace" agreement which will probably be never! Stop importing cheap labor and get the illegals out without using taxpayers money. Encourage Israelis to work and reducing taxes. Stop giving into the extortion of the Railway, Harbor and Electricity Corp. unions and buying them off with our money. Stop under-taxing the tycoons and start using our gas and tell the Egyptians to take their and shove it. Bibi, start being a Prime Minister. Lead the country and take care of your biggest voter base - those who are battling to make ends meet! Remember, the voter giveth and the voter can taketh away!

This government flies through money like water because all politicians are rich and have no idea what it is like to be a reagular citizen.

You know the one that's well connected with the Ynet, - ignore, let's move on.

Asking for higher taxes...while he evicts people out of their houses and off their God-give land.

We would save BILLIONS by not paying Haredim to study. That would pay for an increase in soldiers pay, and more money for welfare programs for people who want to work but can't. If they stop those subsidies and still don't have enough money, I'd be willing to pay more taxes (that is, if my husband can find a job, which he's desperately trying to do).

#4 you get a grade of 20 from 100. Here is the complete answer. First: no more spending money on illegal aliens from Sudan and Eritrea: repatriate them all. Second: no more free health care for Arabs living under PA rule: they must pay every last cent or go to their friends in Egypt and Syria. Third: real tax collection in the Arab sector, especially arnona, income and property tax Fourth: immediate cancellation of the part of Tal law that forbids Haredim from working legally. Fifth: don't force the IDF to draft Haredim it doesn't want at huge expense. Let the IDF draft only the 3% it actually needs. Sixth: no more ethnic cleansing of Jews from Judea and Samaria. This has been proven the main cause of Israel's deficits. #1: learn your facts: Netanyahu is an amateur compared to Obama and our own Peres.

That sounds like something Obama wants to do! NO! Taxes have to be lowered, especially in the periphery to encourage businesses to go to places where people need jobs!

a) Cut public expenses 4% across-the-board. Govt way too bloated anyway. b) Sell more public land to builders.

Lower taxes = more money for people to spend = they buy more products = more employment. What is so hard?

Israel has one of the lowest work force participations among the OECD nations - and yet Israel is still despite this big flaw, capable of having an average annual GDP growth higher than most OECD nations. Israel needs to increase work force participation to reach the top 5 league of the OECD countries, reduce and minimize bureaucracy, establish anti trust laws, deregulate the market, privatize electricity production, reduce bureaucracy regarding construction permits and to get rid of the oligarchy (by outlawing monopoly and oligarchy and forcing them to sell their shares) to reduce real estate prices and food prices that are kept at artificially high prices. On top of that: Israel needs state of the art communications, roads, motorways and railroads all over Israel. That way, Israelis can easily live in one city and work in another city and get to their job in no time. That would encourage work participation. The only sector of the economy where we cannot and should not reduce public spending is the IDF. Raising taxes as Sever Plocker suggests would simply lead to less money in the wallet and therefore less consumption which leads to less products/services purchased/sold, lower growth for the corporations, reduced profit, decreased liquidity which will lead to unemployment which will further limit the annual GDP growth. Raising taxes will not necessarily lead to less public spending and raising taxes will not necessarily encourage growth. No - we should encourage growth and consumption but reduce public spending.The state authorities have an excess amount of fat. Cut it off, streamline the state authorities. The funds used for useless bureaucrats can be used for schools, universities, hospitals, roads, border fences or the IDF. The economy is slowing down not because the people of Israel are doing too well. It's because the government is doing too well.

Obama's fiscal policies failed and will most likely cost him the Presidency. I'd rather trust Stanley Fishcher.

While it may seem counter intuitive, the best way to boost the gov't coffers is to LOWER taxes. The reason for this is that it stimulates the economy. Imagine if israel was a tax haven, and all the wealthy jewish money in the world could be stored in tax shelters in Israel, what effect would that have on the economy?

Why do you post without knowing your subject? Misinformation is not only bad but is often dangerous. For several years now the only money that Israel got from the US was for military aid and 80% of that aid must be spent in the US Aid from the US equals less than 1.6% of Israel's GDP ourchangingglobe dot com/israel-doesnt-depend-on-american-aid-or-arms Replace the word dot with a . and remove the two spaces. Only because Ynet makes a fuss about links.

Sheesh, just cut Haredi benefits in half, and have a compromise where they will have only a limited time for yeshiva study before having to find a job. Accommodate them by letting them impose their own workplace rules in Bnei Brak, Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem like Mea Shearim, and wherever else they may be. Also, I hate to say this, because I absolutely loathe socialism to the core, but taxes on anyone who makes more than a billion shekels should be raised by 5-10%. Once Israel eliminates the economic crisis, it should also eliminate its dependence on a foreign power by voluntarily forfeiting US aid. US gear can then be replaced with as much of Israel's own domestically-produced equipment as possible, though Israel can still buy advanced weapons systems like combat aircraft (but it might also it consider making its own, like the IAI Kfir and the IAI Lavi. A relative of mine actually worked on that project).

As long as the West, included our tiny Israel, can not compete with chinese exports, cuttng back will not work. Can Israel buy less " Made in China" and sell more " Made in Israel" ? If not , the Chinese will start buying Israel`s best creme-of-the-creme high tech institutions and install a chinese directorate over it to oversee the progress, as they are doing it now in Europe.

Because we deal here with energy, i.e. human energy, the second law of thermodynamics applies, namely: “energy is required to prevent a system to go in disorder”. Entropy here stands for taxation. Therefore taxation is required to maintain order... the more disorder in society – the more taxation. The Government should focus on improving the “moral”, “social”, and “academic” development of its people. Then taxation will go down and stability will be restored. Ignoring the advice will create “catch 22” solution, consequently going deeper down the bottomless pit... the God of Israel prevent this to happen! Amen. For your information Google “The World Monetary Order to Come”.

Free schooling - to get votes. Free dentistry for children - for votes. Somebody has to pay for this! And will Netanyahu really tax the rich? Nope - it'll be the middle and lower income folk, struggling in one of the most expensive countries in the world, who will bear the brunt. But in the end, it's the apathetic VOTER who must be blamed - you get the government you deserve.

Funny how left wing liberals say the same thing the world over. Wait, don't raise taxes on the middle class, just tax the rich! Hahaha. Plocker, you could be writing for the Wash Post or NY Times. All the same drivel. Tax the rich, redistribute the wealth, have to save the jobs of teachers, firefighters, and cops. Wash, rinse, repeat.

The social justice crowd might not live in the real world with their demand for increased spending and lower taxes. Taxes are already high enough so a tax increase at this time is not the answer and imposing an EU law making the amount the government must keep the deficit to 0.5% is ridiculous considered there are times when a government may need to borrow more. When your in a recession and you want other people to bail you out then sign up to things like this but it is in general a stupid thing. We need to do what the social justice crowd are against and thats increase privatization. That will raise billions for the government because we they raise alot through the initial sale, they are not propping up companies which are not making a profit and we can tax the company we are no longer funding. We need to bring in more legislation which will help break up monopolies and smash the all powerful Histadrut who can bring the entire country to a standstill at will We do not dissolve the Histadrut .or the right to vote but we cut them down to size the way Thatcher did to the British unions. We don't want to collect a million here and a million there instead we need to create a long term solution and cut the final links to the socialist that has been a burden on the economy since 1948. Its the socialist economy that crippled the country during the recession and its Bibi's work as Sharon's finance minister that turned it round.

not raises in rates which reduces growth..the .5% debt target is too low. 2%is no problem as long as growth continues...of course over time it's the spending! stupid!

Financially, Israel is doing better than virtually every E.U. nation. Yet Plocker suggests following the E.U. plans, which result in most E.U. nations being either bankrupt or on the verge of bankrupcy. This is a very bad joke!

It is very easy. Reduce 30+ minsters to 10. Abolish the payments to Haredim. Wait, I have just saved the country 2 billion shekels. Increase income tax on wage earners earning more than 50000 per month. Everyone with a company car must pay the tax, including police, military, bank of israel and the MPs. Currently it is only people who have leasing cars, which they receive instead of a salary. Stop giving yourselves a salary increase so often. When the going gets tough, the MKs increase their own salaries. Reduce the number of trips that each unauthorized MK takes. Reduce the number of people they take with. Stop the purchase of teh Air Force One aircraft. You want to buy it, wait until we can afford it

What does israel need? The free lunch.

Deport all the illegals, and foreign workers. Then Israelis will have to fill the positions. That means less welfare and more taxpayers increasing funds and lowering costs at the same time