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Page 6 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 26, 1986
World!s highest taxpayers
Sparks fly as Israel’s tax reform is discussed
by Yaacov Ben Yosef
Special to I SI
JERUSALEM—It is all but
certain that the tax reform pack
age presented to the Israeli gov
ernment this week will have to
undergo important changes be
fore approval is given.
Following Sunday’s stormy
10-hour cabinet meeting, at
which the package was first
aired, political leaders doubted
that Finance Minister Moshe
Nissim. sponsor of the plan,
would be able to push it through
intact.
The cabinet planned to hold a
second meeting Tuesday after
noon but all that was expected to
emerge was the establishment of
a set of committees to figure out
how to revamp the program.
There can not be too much
more delay because by law the
government must present the
budget to the Knesset by mid-
January, and the budget is de
signed to take account of the tax
reform package.
The package calls for sweeping
tax reforms, the first time the
heavily burned Israelis will get
such a reform.
Even though change in the
program appears likely, the His-
tadrut, the major trade federa
tion, still was planning job actions
to underline their arguments
against the program. Printers,
construction workers, hotel
workers, clerks and steelworkers
unions were expected to vote on
labor disputes soon.
Sunday's cabinet meeting was
marked by angry exchanges be
tween members of the Likud bloc.
The worst outburst occurred
when Minister without Portfolio
Moshe Arens noted that families
in Israel should be offered high
levels of housing and health ser
vices. “We need American stan
dards in Israel, not African ones,"
Arens said in a remark that led
Deputy Prime Minister David
Levy to stalk out of the session.
Arens said he had meant no
offense even before Levy stormed
out. That evening on Israel tele
vision Prime Minister Yit/hak
Shamir said that the entire cabinet
had been saddened by the inci
dent created by what he described
as Arens’ “slip of the tongue."
Almost no one in Israel seems
to be against tax reform. That, of
course, is because Israelis are
among the highest taxpayers in
Who is Al Greenfield?
by V ida Goldgar
Who is Al Greenfield and why
has he given so much money to
Atlanta’s Hebrew Academy?
Those questions have been
asked around since last week’s
announcement that Greenfield,
who lives in Miami Beach, had
added SI million in a charitable
remainder trust to a sum only
slightly less w hich he had already
contributed to the Academy over
recent years.
The connection to Atlanta was
established through his wife’s sis
ter, Dr. Jean Gabler Greenberg,
and Dr. Irving “Greenie” Green
berg. Since the very beginning of
the Hebrew Academy, the Green
bergs have been among its most
ardent supporters, an enthusiasm
that was transmitted to Al Green
field. who is also a benefactor of
the Hebrew Academy in Miami.
Born in 1903 in Brooklyn,
N.Y.. he was the third youngest
of eight children. Life has not
always treated Al Greenfield
kindly. After high school, he
joined the family business —
manufacturers of women’s ap
parel. But after 10 years, the
Great Depression hit and the
business went into bankruptcy.
In 1938, the business was reestab
lished with $10,000.
For several years he, his sister
and his brother operated the bus
iness but after his brother’s death,
the firm was dissolved in 1970.
The following year, he married
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Jean Greenberg’s sister, Helen
Crystal, and they moved to Miami
Beach. Helen Crystal Greenfield's
son is comedian Billy Crystal.
Greenfield says his mother
instilled in him a love of Jewish
ness, and to this day he lays tefil-
lin and observes the Sabbath.
An obviously successful invest
ment program has resulted in his
being able to carry his generosity
to a degree not available to most
but, he says, adversity taught
him the value of a dollar. Refer
ring to the charitable remainder
trusts, he says, “1 get back more
than 1 give and the academies can
carry on their dedicated work in
helping shape a vibrant Jewish
community.”
Al Greenfield
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the world, turning over 60 per
cent of their income above 3,181
Israelis shekels ($2,120) a month.
For the past 18 months Israel
has embarked on a belt-tightening
recovery program to reduce
triple-digit inflation to more
acceptable levels. Now that the
program has largely succeeded,
the National Unity Government
has targeted productivity as its
next major goal—and it wants to
take a cue from the new Ameri
can tax reform program to spur
Israelis to work harder.
The only trouble is that repre
sentatives of the bottom rung of
the economic ladder feel that the
poor will be hurt excessively by
the new program.
No one who earns less than
800 shekels ($533) a month will
have to pay income taxes. The
existing ceiling has been 650
shekels ($433) a month. But what
has people furious is the fact
that, under the new program, the
poor will be charged for certain
social services for the first time,
including health and education
costs.
The poor have received sup
port from the Histradrut, the
Labor Party and segments ol the
Likud. Hence, the call for changes
in the package.
Under the new program, any
one earning above 2,000 shekels
a month ($1,333) will pay only 45
percent taxes on the amount
above that figure: Before that
someone earning income above
3,181 shekels ($2,120) a month
would be in the 60 percent tax
bracket.
The poor argue that the rich
will benefit immensely from this
reform while they will suffer.
One of the more controversial
parts of the package calls for
parents to pay for their children's
education rather than the present
free education system. The fees
would be for kindergarten through
high school.
Under the new plan, parents
would be charged between 100
and 410 Israeli shekels ($60 and
$250) a month, depending upon
how many children they have in
school. Parents with a monthly
income of less than 300 Israeli
shekels ($200) would be exempt.
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