Business umbrella group calls to cancel national election holiday
Protesting the estimated NIS 1.5b. cost of an additional paid holiday, the group published an advertisement in Hebrew-language newspapers, declaring: "We are fed up with funding your elections!"
By EYTAN HALON An advertisement by the Presidium of Israeli Business Organizations, published December 4, 2019(photo credit: PRESIDIUM OF ISRAELI BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS)
The Presidium of Israeli Business Organizations, an umbrella group representing Israel’s private sector companies, called on lawmakers on Wednesday to avoid another public holiday should Israel return to the polls for a fourth time in little over one year.Protesting the estimated NIS 1.5 billion cost of an additional paid holiday, the group published an advertisement in Hebrew-language newspapers, declaring: "We are fed up with funding your elections!"The organization called on party leaders to “immediately amend” the current law providing for a paid public holiday on election day, protesting that “the business sector is not the milk cow of the political system.” Israelis have headed to the polls on three separate occasions in 2018 and 2019, including two Knesset elections and one local election.In addition to the cost to the private sector, holding a second Knesset election in 2019 also required government expenditure of NIS 475 m., according to the Finance Ministry.Members of the umbrella group include the Manufacturers Association of Israel, Lahav - Israel Chamber of Independent Organizations and Businesses and the Association of Banks in Israel.Earlier this week, Shraga Brosh, the chairman of the Presidium of Israeli Business Organizations, voiced his support for legislation proposed by MKs Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu) and MK Miki Zohar (Likud) to cancel future holidays on election day."Hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized business owners don't have to pay for the politicians' failures," said Brosh. "The four sabbatical days in such a short time will cause enormous damage to the economy and could bring down small and medium-sized enterprises."
