Ministry of Finance
Israeli-media coverage mentioning Ministry of Finance, translated into English and compared across sources. 48 recent stories.
Israeli Finance Ministry Delays Government Fleet Leasing Plan, Citing Review and Possible China Concerns
Israel’s Finance Ministry has delayed a major plan to move the government fleet to operating leases. Officials are still reviewing the model, while industry sources say concern ov…
Netanyahu Family Moved to a New Jerusalem Residence as Public Spending on Homes Grows
A Haaretz investigation says the Netanyahu family has moved to a seventh Jerusalem residence while public spending on official and private homes nears NIS 100 million. It details…
New Cellular Mast Installed in Shaked-Nur as Part of West Bank Infrastructure Push
A new cellular mast has been installed in Shaked-Nur in northern Samaria. The project is part of a wider Defense Ministry plan to build 51 communication towers across Judea and Sa…
Treasury Official Warns Israel Faces a Dangerous Postwar Debt Trap
Finance Ministry budget official Tamara Levi Banna warns that October 7 has made it politically harder to restrain defense spending. She says Israel risks a debt spiral unless the…
State Audit Warns Israel Is Unprepared for an Aging Population
An Israeli opinion piece argues that the state has failed to prepare for rapid population aging. Citing a State Comptroller report, it says no major government target from a 2015…
Israel Weighs Grant Funds to Offset Weak Dollar Damage to Tech
Israel’s Finance Ministry and Innovation Authority are considering two grant funds to help tech firms hurt by the weak dollar. The larger fund would support growth companies and m…
Justice Ministry Warns Political Attorney General Could Open Door to Favoritism in Grant Distribution
The Knesset Constitution Committee debated a bill that would remove mandatory attorney-general consultation from government grant criteria. The Justice Ministry warned this could…
Smotrich to unveil high-tech aid plan, mulls dollar tax payments
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he will present a high-tech aid package next week as the shekel strengthens. He also said the Finance Ministry is weighing incentives for mu…
Israel’s 2025 Budget Gap Nears 100 Billion Shekels as War Costs and Debt Service Rise
Israel ended 2025 with spending of about 650 billion shekels and revenue of about 552 billion, creating a near 100 billion shekel deficit. War costs, rising debt service, and high…
State Comptroller Says Ashal Rabin Conversion Delay Cost the Public at Least NIS 4.6 Billion
A State Comptroller report says delays in Israel Electric Corporation's Orot Rabin gas-conversion project cost the public at least NIS 4.6 billion. The report faults poor planning…
Regulators Move to Overhaul Bank Trading Fees After Record NIS 3.5 Billion Haul
Israel’s Bank of Israel, Securities Authority and Finance Ministry have published a three-stage plan to overhaul securities trading fees at the big banks. The reform aims to simpl…
State Auditor Finds Government Property Managed Without Updated Mapping or Security Data
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said the Finance Ministry’s Government Housing Administration manages thousands of state properties without an updated inventory. The report al…
Israeli Banks’ Hidden Investment Advice Fees Could Soon Be Exposed
A joint Israeli regulatory task force wants bank investment-advice fees made transparent, after finding banks earn hidden commissions through mutual fund charges. The plan could o…
Auditor Slams Last-Minute Billions in Budget Transfers to Ministries
Israel’s comptroller says the Finance Ministry pushed billions of shekels in budget transfers too late in 2024, often minutes before year-end. He says the practice damaged legalit…
State pensions office flagged for manual paperwork, service and tax failures
Israel’s State Comptroller criticized the Pensions Administration in the Finance Ministry for still using manual retirement procedures, poor customer service, and tax and benefit…
State Auditor Flags Excess Mortgage Fees, Conflicts of Interest and Housing Credit Risks
Israel’s State Comptroller says mortgage consultants have charged extreme fees and often worked under undisclosed conflicts of interest. The report also faults regulators for fail…
Treasury to Fund Pilot Compensation for Businesses Extorted by Protection Rackets
Israel’s Finance Ministry plans a six-month, NIS 30 million pilot to compensate businesses harmed by protection rackets. The state will run the program through the Tax Authority a…
Who Really Gets Israel’s Education Fund Tax Break
Hilan data shows Israel’s provident study fund is concentrated among higher earners and knowledge-sector workers, with 95% coverage in hi-tech and 92% in healthcare. The tax-free…
Knesset Moves to Scrap Parking-Fee Law, but Lower Prices Are Not Guaranteed
The Knesset Economy Committee approved a measure to repeal the parking-by-the-minute rule, but the change may not lower prices. The repeal was inserted into a broader metropolitan…
Civil Service Commission to Hand Senior Hiring Tenders to Government Ministries
Israel’s Civil Service Commission plans to let ministries run senior hiring tenders for about 2,300 jobs. The commission will keep oversight powers, including job-description appr…
Knesset Panel Approves Metropolitan Transit Reform, Bringing Bnei Brak Into Gush Dan
The Knesset Economy Committee approved a major reform creating metropolitan transit authorities, including Gush Dan, which will bring Bnei Brak into the model. The committee also…
Treasury Warns Scrapping Kosher Reform Could Cost Public 750 Million Shekels a Year
Israel’s Finance Ministry says a bill to cancel kosher certification reform could cost consumers and the state 750 million shekels a year. The coalition-backed measure passed its…
Holiday Allowance to Rise 8% in Private Sector
Israel’s Histadrut and business-sector employers agreed to raise the private-sector vacation allowance day to 451.5 shekels, pending a Labor Ministry extension order. Public-secto…
China Hits U.S. Defense and Tech Firms With New Export Curbs
China imposed new export restrictions on 10 U.S. entities and sanctions on 46 more American firms, including MP Materials, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The measures target dual-u…
Civil rights group petitions Israel’s High Court over diversion of Arab-sector transport funds
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel petitioned the High Court, saying transport funds meant for Arab communities were redirected to projects near Jewish towns. The petition…
Histadrut seeks nationwide PTSD care network, not just a Tel Aviv center
Histadrut acting chairman Roi Yaakov said Israel needs a nationwide PTSD treatment system, not a single central center in Tel Aviv. He said the federation is already applying this…
Local Government Warns Staffing Rules Are Undermining Israel’s Resilience
Israeli local leaders say rigid state rules are crippling their ability to hire and keep essential staff. They argue the problem is hurting routine services and emergency readines…
Israel to Ease REIT Rules to Boost Long-Term Rental Housing
Israel is preparing to ease tax and regulatory rules for REITs to spur long-term rental housing. The committee’s recommendations would let funds sell more apartments without losin…
Doctors Are Buying Pricier Homes Than Tech Workers, Finance Ministry Data Shows
Finance Ministry data says Israeli doctors are buying pricier homes than high-tech workers, contradicting a common salary narrative. The gap appears both in purchase prices and in…
State Auditor Warns Israel's Long-Term Care Benefits Are Pushing National Insurance Toward Crisis
Israel's State Comptroller says the government badly mismanaged population aging and long-term care benefits, pushing the National Insurance Institute toward insolvency. He blames…
Knesset Push to Grant Beer Sheva Tax Break Draws Cost and Fairness Criticism
Knesset lawmakers are advancing a Beer Sheva tax break that would cost about 600 million shekels a year, though the committee review was delayed. The article says the plan is part…
Israeli Banks Race to Meet 3 Billion Shekel Relief Commitment
Israel’s biggest banks have already distributed about 1.9 billion shekel under a voluntary three-year relief plan tied to their high profits. Bank Leumi is accelerating bonuses, w…
Public Transit Drivers to Receive War Compensation After Months of Talks
Israel’s National Labor Federation and public transit companies reached a compensation deal with the Finance and Transport Ministries for drivers excluded from the wartime furloug…
Israeli State Delegation to Visit Nasdaq to Explore Defense Company Listings
A state delegation led by Maayan Harel will visit Nasdaq next month to examine IPO options for Israeli defense firms, including dual listings in New York and Tel Aviv. The trip co…
State Comptroller: Israel Lacks a National Plan for Aging
A State Comptroller report says Israel lacks a comprehensive plan to confront population aging and has failed to implement its strategic goals. It warns that the National Insuranc…
Hundreds of veteran Haredi kindergarten teachers face layoffs over funding dispute
Around 150 veteran Agudat Yisrael kindergarten teachers have warned Haredi lawmakers that flawed Education Ministry budgeting could trigger layoffs and the closure of dozens of ki…
Smotrich attacks Supreme Court over review of judicial selection law
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attacked Israel’s Supreme Court as it hears petitions against a Basic Law amendment on judge selection. He said the court has no authority to str…
After 50 Years, W. R. Grace Plant Closes, and Markets See the Same Middle East
Ynet’s weekly business roundup covered the closure of Pratt & Whitney’s Nahariya plant, a Nigerian migrant’s fight to claim a half-million-euro lottery win in Italy, and major sho…
Election Commission proposes major rule changes for Israel’s next Knesset vote
Israel’s Central Elections Committee has sent the Knesset a wide-ranging package of election reforms for the 26th Knesset vote. The changes include AI disclosure rules, extra voti…
Transport Minister Pushes to Freeze Fare Indexation Before Elections
Israel’s Transport Ministry says Miri Regev is seeking to end automatic fare indexation for public transport, a move that could freeze prices before the elections. The decision wo…
Finance Ministry Revives Road-Use Tax Debate, and EV Sales Feel the Pressure
Israel’s Finance Ministry is again weighing a congestion charge and a mileage tax on electric cars. The prospect of new per-kilometer fees, alongside possible cuts in purchase tax…
Treasury Drafts Next Budget Push on Insurance Brokers, Tax Breaks, and New Levies
Israel’s Finance Ministry is preparing a major 2027 budget package that could revive reforms on insurance broker pay, financial regulation, and tax breaks. The ministry is also pl…
Tel Hai’s Upgrade to University Leaves Northern Students and Reservists at Risk
A funding dispute over Tel Hai’s transition to Kiryat Shmona University is putting first-year scholarships for northern students at risk. The cutoff could drive students, includin…
Former land authority chief says housing relief depends on building more, faster
Bentzi Lieberman says Israel’s housing crisis can only be solved by rapidly expanding supply, especially in the Galilee and Negev. He criticizes slow planning, poor service at the…
Finance Ministry Budget Chief Picks Internal Deputy, Easing Fears of Outside Appointment
Rotem Bramli has been named acting deputy head of Israel’s Budget Division, replacing Kfir Batta and averting fears of an outside appointment. The move follows tensions inside the…
72,000 Shekel Bonus Will Not Bring Back Strong Teachers to the Gaza Envelope, Opinion Argues
An opinion piece criticizes a new government grant plan offering up to 72,000 shekels to teachers who move to the Gaza envelope. It argues the real problem is the low status and h…
Israel Weighs Limits on Data Center Expansion in Central Region
The Knesset Interior Committee debated a bill to fast-track data centers as national infrastructure, while ministries and regulators pushed to limit new centers in central Israel…
MK Says Israel Is Failing to Incentivize Businesses in the North
At a Knesset hearing on a factory closure in Nahariya, MK Oded Forer accused the state of failing to give businesses enough reason to operate in northern border communities. He ca…