Knesset Budget Balloons 20 Percent

YERUSHALAYIM (Hamodia Staff) —
Member of Knesset Amnon Cohen (Shas) looking over the new budget in the plenum on Monday. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Member of Knesset Amnon Cohen (Shas) looking over the new budget in the plenum on Monday. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
The state budget for 2015 was submitted to the Knesset on Monday. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The state budget for 2015 was submitted to the Knesset on Monday. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The newly presented state budget, presented on Monday, contained good news for the Knesset—a 20% bigger budget than last year, Globes reported.

However, the increase is for Knesset activities, not salaries.

According to the budget recommendation submitted by the Ministry of Finance, the Knesset budget for 2015 will be NIS 668 million, compared with NIS 595 million in 2014. Most of the growth occurred in the Knesset operations budget.

Among the budgetary subsections that received significantly more money: the section entitled “Foreign relations, ceremonies and funds,” which increased by nearly 70%; the administration budget, which will be nearly NIS 100 million, 21.5% more than the current budget; and the “Knesset workers expenses” budget, up 25%.

The Knesset members themselves decide on the budget.

Another budget that saw growth (25%) was the president’s. The president and his office will have nearly NIS 51 million, compared with NIS 40 million in 2014.

Prime Minister’s Office’s Settlement Division, which is responsible for development in Yehudah and Shomron will be NIS 150 million, compared with NIS 55 million in 2014.

There were cuts too, to preserve budgetary balance. The axe fell on pension provisions, down from NIS 3.8 billion in 2014 to NIS 2.7 billion in 2015.

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