Tax Authority Director Jacky Matza on Sunday evening submitted his resignation to Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson.
In his letter, Matza wrote that he decided to resign out of public responsibility, following the alleged corruption affair in the Tax Authority, which is being investigated by the police.
"I decided to resign out of public responsibility, as the Tax Authority is very dear to me and in order not to be an obstacle for any appointment of a Tax Authority chief, in spite of the fact that the investigation has yet to be completed" he wrote.
On January 7, Matza sent Hirchson a letter in which he announced that he was taking an immediate leave of absence until the end of his investigation.
"I believe that I will manage to clear my name and remove this dark cloud from my reputation," he wrote in his resignation letter.
Matza added that he made the decision to resign following media reports that there was an urgent need to appoint a permanent Tax Authority director instead of him and that this could not be done as long as he was still holding his post.
He noted that he worked at the Authority for more than a decade and that "throughout the entire period, and particularly as the Authority director, my goal was to implement all of the Tax Authority's objectives which were indeed achieved, and even beyond that."
At the end of his letter, Matza thanked "the thousands of wonderful employees at the Tax Authority who assisted me, as the person heading the organization, achieve the Authority's objectives." He also thanked the finance minister and the prime minister for their faith in him.