The Knesset has freezed the drought tax for the winter months after a Finance Committee proposal passed its second and third reading in the plenum.

Finance Committee chairman MK Moshe Gafni United Torah Judaism said that it was appropriate to suspend the drought tax, which was initially imposed due to the real need to reduce the waste of water in Israel. However, he added that due to the handsome saving since the tax's imposition in the summer, and because use of water in the winter is half that of the summer, the tax should be suspended for the winter months.

Gafni distinguished between the drought tax, which was introduced by the current government in the summer, and the upcoming rise in water tariffs, which was legislated by the previous government. He said, "By suspending the drought tax now we are preventing a situation where prices will both rise significantly alongside the tax. Now we are suspending the tax and we will carry on our work to see how we can alleviate matters on the topic of the water price rise, which is expected soon."

The third reading of the bill to freeze the drought tax was passed by a majority of 28. Renewal of the drought tax in the summer will depend on how much rain falls in the winter.