War Compensation Appeals Stuck as Finance Ministry and Committees Clash Over Pay
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
Around 10,000 war compensation appeals are stalled because the Ministry of Finance and appeal committees are disputing hourly pay rates and preparation time. The committees, which handle claims for war damages, stopped all work on Tuesday, impacting thousands of citizens and businesses. The Ministry of Finance claims it increased preparation hours, but committee heads say agreements were broken and are urging a resolution.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- 10,000 war compensation appeals are stalled due to a pay dispute between the Finance Ministry and appeal committees.
- The committees stopped all work on Tuesday, impacting citizens and businesses seeking war damage compensation.
- The dispute centers on compensation for preparation hours, with committees demanding payment for all work done.
- Committee heads informed Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Tax Authority Director Shai Aharonovitz of the stoppage.
- The Finance Ministry claims it increased preparation hours but accuses committee heads of breaking agreements.
Approximately 10,000 appeals for war compensation are currently stalled due to a dispute between the Ministry of Finance and the chairpersons and members of the Property Tax Compensation Fund's appeal committees. The committees, which handle compensation for direct and indirect war damages, have halted all proceedings since Tuesday. This stoppage is significantly impacting citizens and businesses that suffered losses during the war, with appeals potentially worth billions remaining unprocessed three years after the conflict began.
The core of the dispute lies in the Ministry of Finance's refusal to compensate committee members for extensive hours spent preparing and reviewing complex cases. While committee chairs receive NIS 230 per hour and members NIS 205, they are demanding payment for all hours worked on each case, not just a limited number of preparation hours. Committee members argue that preparing cases involving millions of shekels requires many hours, but the Tax Authority, which the compensation fund oversees, is limiting this to just two preparation hours per case.
Sources within the committees stated that this limitation was imposed despite an alternative framework developed by the Ministry of Justice and agreements that the Tax Authority had previously backed. The heads of 10 appeal committees informed Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Tax Authority Director Shai Aharonovitz of their decision to cease all discussions and rulings until their working conditions are resolved to allow for professional decision-making.
The Ministry of Finance, in response, stated that it is dedicating all necessary resources to ensure citizens receive compensation efficiently. They claimed to have approved an increase in the allocated preparation hours, but asserted that some committee heads reneged on these agreements. The Ministry urged the committee heads to resume their work and expressed willingness to continue discussions, also considering expanding the number of committee chairs to expedite the process.
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