
Deputy Finance Minister Mickey Levy
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg
Deputy Finance Minister Mickey Levy
said Saturday that he and Finance Minister Yair Lapid
were not aware of how severe the deficit was. "When we ran for election, we were not aware of how deep the budgetary pit was. As soon as we assumed office, we realized we were not facing a pit, but rather a sinkhole," the deputy minister said.
Levy insisted that funds allocated to the haredi sector, contrary to popular belief, were larger than they were before, adding that budget was invested in helping haredim assimilate in the job market.
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He asserted that haredim's integration in the job market was "highly important and one of the driving forces for the growth of the Israeli economy."
Levy addressed various economic issues, stressing that his office's "economic policy is to take Israel out of the budgetary pit. The budget introduces great difficulties, but I hope it'll be over in two years. Despite numerous cuts, we've increased public spending and invested additional NIS 6.5 billion in the education budget and NIS 300 million in welfare."
The deputy minister added that it was decided to cut down on child support, ensuring that "the rich will not be receiving subsidiaries."
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