Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman was interviewed today (Monday) at the Makor Rishon conference, and addressed a number of issues on the agenda. Among other things, he was asked what his position was on raising the minimum wage to over NIS 6,000. He said it was “populism that could ruin the economy”. When asked if he is whole with the number of dead from Corona, which has reached 1,000 in the last month, he replied: “I am completely whole with it.”
Lieberman explained that “life is risk management, it’s not just in war, we know that in road accidents about 350 people will die a year, we know this in advance, and no one outlaws the vehicle.”
On the demand to raise the minimum wage, he said: “If we raise the minimum wage to seven thousand shekels, the cost of living will rise and with it the prices and the amount of dismissals. There will be inflation and unemployment.” According to him, the solution to the cost of living for minimum wage earners should go through income tax refunds: “What we did in the past and were suspended again, was an instrument called negative income tax. Today it is a work grant for those receiving minimum wage. If they receive a January and July grant “The private employer. We do not want to burden the economy.”
‘Minimum 40 NIS’ activist, Alona Amram, breaks out on Lieberman
According to him, an activist of the ‘Minimum 40 NIS’ organization, Alona Amram, burst out and said: “Lieberman, you are disconnected. What are we supposed to do with the addition of 54 cents to the minimum wage? We need a real and realistic increase, it will raise the minimum wage to NIS 40 per hour. How will we pay for the rising electricity and the other price increases? “
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Later, he referred to the reform promoted by the Minister of Religious Affairs, Matan Kahana, according to which it will be possible to hold civil weddings at consulates of foreign countries in Israel in exchange for changing the Law of Return and removing the grandchild section from it. Lieberman expressed strong opposition to the proposal and explained why: “In such and other circumstances, people come to Israel with families. You can not cut off children, parents, grandparents. We cut off the Jewish people in this way. Ruth the Moabite would not be converted today by Deri.”
The finance minister was then asked whether he was likely to unite with Nafti Bennett and Gideon Saar and run with them under one list in the upcoming elections. He replied: “I am sure we have four years in the coalition, I do not rule out anything. I first want to focus on doing. We are only eight months and if we continue with the same policy, we can upgrade to Switzerland. Israel has the ability to be one of five countries with the standard of living The highest in the world. ”