The Ministry has instead been allocated an additional NIS 40 million over two years.
The government approved the 2008 budget on Sunday without any cut in the budget of the Ministry of Absorption, following strong opposition to the move by Absorption Minister Jacob Edery. The decision to revoke the cut was made by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, with the Ministry of Finance also allocating an additional NIS 40 million to the Ministry of Absorption over two years, to finance immigration promotion campaigns and immigrant absorption.
The Ministry of Finance had originally sought to cut NIS 450 million from the immigrant absorption budget, including a 20% cut in the absorption basket, an assistance package usually given to new immigrants as they take their first steps after arriving in Israel. The Ministry of Absorption is promoting a bill, which if passed into law, will increase the absorption basket by 25%, since it claims that the current package is still insufficient, given the needs that new immigrants have during their initial period of adjustment.
The Ministry of Finance also planned to revoke the exemption from customs duty given to immigrants from developing countries to help purchase basic household electrical goods on arriving in Israel.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on August 14, 2007
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