The chairman of Israel Beitenu, Member of Knesset Avigdor Lieberman, commented today (Tuesday) on the revelation of news here, that the tax on sugary drinks is supposed to remain. In an interview with Eliel Shahar on the program This Morning in Khan Network B, Member of Knesset Lieberman said that “this is another folding, like the folding in the evacuation of the building in East Jerusalem”.
Listen to the interview with Knesset member Lieberman here, Network B
According to the chairman of Israel Beitenu, 44 countries imposed this tax so that people would be healthy. “He did not come against anyone,” said the opposition Knesset member. Lieberman added that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not fighting terrorism, but surrendering to it and cooperating with it. This, against the background of the decision to postpone the demolition of the illegal building in the Wadi Kadum neighborhood in East Jerusalem, as revealed in this news, and the postponement of the eviction of Khan Al-Ahmar.
First publication: the initiative in the government to keep the tax on sugary drinks. It appears: Deri will ask to lower the tax only on diet drinks@shemeshmicha | #The evening news pic.twitter.com/FVzgS1kCeO
— here news (@kann_news) February 6, 2023
Lieberman also said that during Netanyahu’s time, Shalit Yahya Sinwar and a thousand terrorists were released with blood on their hands in the deal, and that “instead of dealing with terrorism – Netanyahu sends emissaries to Qatar, begging it to continue sending money to the Gaza Strip.”
Regarding the chances of negotiations regarding the legal reform, the Knesset member said that “negotiations with a gun on the table is not negotiations, it is simply an act of blackmail. All the maneuvers are designed to put the people who oppose these moves to sleep.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is also looking into reducing the tax only on diet drinks. In this morning’s show on the B network, it was announced that Smotrich has received the public’s comments in recent days, and plans to meet with the doctors’ union, which is expected to present him with the opposition to reducing the tax on sugary drinks. The environment of the Minister of Finance said in response that “there is a study of the public’s comments and the data. The event will be studied in depth and this is in the work of the professional parties.”
Smotrich has already published the order to abolish the tax on all sweet drinks, one of the flagship promises of the ultra-orthodox parties. But in the evening news at Khan 11 it was announced last night that following an appeal by the Shas Women’s Forum, party chairman Aryeh Deri is expected to ask to leave the tax on sweet drinks. The tax on the diet will be removed.