Israeli soldiers received a long-anticipated pay raise of 25 percent in their January payslips, received on Sunday. Combat soldiers now receive NIS 1,076 ($271) per month, combat support soldiers receive NIS 784 ($199), and Homefront Command soldiers receive NIS 540 ($137). A senior officer in the Israel Defense Forces Personnel Directorate stated that starting in 2016, soldiers' salaries would be linked to the market index, and would be adjusted upward annually. However, if the index decreases, the soldiers' salaries will not be affected. Asked if the payments were sufficient to provide a decent living, the officer said, "It's not the ultimate solution and it will not provide for soldiers coming from poor families, and there are many of them, but we have many other tools, such as gift vouchers and grants. "The instrument known as 'living allowance' is for a [soldier from a] normative, middle-class family sending its child to serve in the army. I don't want a soldier's family to pay for toothbrushes, shoes or shirts, and this sum should be able to cover these expenses during their military service." The IDF said that soldiers' expenses had been analyzed by their use of the Yoter Club credit card, a cooperative venture by the IDF and the Association for the Welfare of Israel's Soldiers. According to the analysis, the average soldier spends about NIS 1,100 per month. However, despite the raise, the soldiers' stipends fall short of that amount. "We were able to achieve the full pay increase for the combat soldiers and we understand that the Homefront units received less, yet they have different consumption habits because they go home on a daily basis," the officer explained. "The decision to raise the soldiers' salaries was very expensive, since there is a considerable number of conscript soldiers. Nevertheless, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz decided to invest in the soldiers," the officer said.
