Lapid Urges Netanyahu to Fund IDF Without Tax Hikes

Opposition leader Yair Lapid has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allocate an immediate 11 billion shekels to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) by utilizing existing budget frameworks, thereby avoiding tax increases. Lapid proposed convening the joint committee for the defense budget to approve funds for urgent military procurement that have been pending for months.

Lapid argues that these essential defense budgets can be approved without exceeding the overall budget or necessitating new taxes. He maintains that any additional funding beyond the current budget should be sourced by canceling coalition funds and funds allocated to draft dodgers. This proposal follows a recent security update meeting between Netanyahu and Lapid, attended by the head of the IDF Planning Directorate, who aimed to persuade Lapid to politically support significant budgetary changes.

During that meeting, Lapid expressed support for transferring funds to the IDF but insisted the budget should be reallocated from coalition funds, not by raising taxes on the middle class and reservists. The opposition opposes the government's request to adjust the 'numerator,' a tool tracking future government expenditures, asserting that legislative changes are unnecessary and advocating for cuts to what they deem 'exorbitant' coalition funds to meet the army's needs.

In response, the Likud party accused Lapid of misleading the public, calling his claims false. They stated that state revenues have exceeded expectations due to the government's economic policies, resulting in a lower-than-expected deficit. Likud asserted that the defense budget can be increased without raising taxes under these circumstances. The demand for additional funding arises from the IDF's security requirements and extraordinary expenses incurred due to the ongoing war, with the government seeking to align the budget framework with these defense expenditures, a move requiring broad political consensus, especially during an election period.