Cuts from everyone, but not from me
Every Israeli knows that Israel needs to find a way to reduce the 39 billion shekel ($10 billion) deficit that emerged in 2012, lest Israel go down the same path as Cyprus. We are all in favor of shouldering the burden, so long as this burden is carried by our neighbor, not us. Defense cuts? No. Education? No. Healthcare? No. Taxes on pension annuities? No. So who is going to lend a hand in the effort to curtail the deficit? Everyone. Meaning no one.
The Finance Ministry must collect the missing billions in the same way one goes on an egg hunt: It must pick them up one by one. The bright-eyed boys at the Finance Ministry have amassed a stack of paperwork detailing the hundreds or thousands of expenditure items. They now must decide what can be cut. They will hold talks with those who might have to shoulder the burden. Finance Minister Yair Lapid began doing so on Tuesday when he met with the head of the Histadrut Labor Federation, Ofer Eini. Eini won't allow cuts to the salaries of his workers, and he can launch a public sector strike that would paralyze Israeli ports, leave trash on the streets and force schools to close. It would also create a backlog in the healthcare system. The public is well aware of all this.
The first tit-for-tat took place on Tuesday. Uri Reshtik, who as the chairman of the Israel Student Union is a wheeler and dealer in his own right, quoted a Finance Ministry official as saying that the government supposedly wants to raise tuition in academic institutions. Lapid immediately took to Facebook and issued a sweeping denial. His deputy, Mickey Levy, struggled to find words when he offered a second denial from the Knesset podium later in the day, but that statement simply bought the ministry some time.
So is it going to happen? That is immaterial. In the coming weeks the state will be flooded with hundreds of such news nuggets. Anyone who hears that their own programs might get the ax will storm out of the Finance Ministry and cry in front of the cameras. Some of the claims will be just, the others will just reflect a spoiled attitude.
If Lapid continues as he did on Tuesday, he will have to deny each new piece of information that comes out on the budget. On a purely formal level, he is right. Namely, the Knesset has yet to pass any measure to approve slashing the education budget. But on a practical level the ship has already sailed. Those who fear being hurt want to stop the cuts and are rallying their troops.
But if Lapid continues issuing denials, he will be caught in a lie. At least in some of the cases, the government will indeed approve budget cuts, otherwise it will be left without funds to pay for the deficit. But Lapid has the option of another course of action he might decide to stay true to his word by forgoing the necessary cuts. Both options are bad.
Thus, if we are in the era of new politics, it is time to adopt new rules: The Finance Ministry must announce that it will not confirm or deny any news item, whether it is true or not. The battle will take place behind closed doors, but the government will not take a stand until a decision is made through the proper channels. This will safeguard the finance minister's credibility as he endures these nerve-racking weeks of budget talks.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו