Daycare (illustrative)
Daycare (illustrative)iStock

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is weighing canceling property tax discounts and daycare subsidies for haredi yeshiva students who have not served in the army, Kikar Hashabbat reported.

According to Baharav-Miara, once the yeshiva students' status has been changed from yeshiva students who hold deferrals to that of draft-dodgers, there is no legal reason to continue subsidizing daycare for their children or allowing them to benefit from income-based property tax discounts.

Calcalist reported Tuesday morning that Baharav-Miara has begun holding talks on the matter and is weighing ending yeshiva students' eligibility.

The Finance Ministry, which is looking for ways to cut the government's expenditures and reduce its debts from the war, is thus debating canceling various social benefits, some of which directly influence the daycare subsidies.

Daycare subsidies are calculated by an income-per-person equation, with lower-earning populations receiving higher subsidies than higher-earning populations. Without subsidies, daycare costs thousands of shekels per month per child.

Labor Minister Yoav Ben Tzur, who is in charge of the daycares, said Tuesday morning, "On my watch, no one will harm innocent babies due to their parents' beliefs. I will fight for the haredi children who are in daycares. The Education Law applies to all children in the State of Israel, with no differentiation [between them], and no one has the right to harm them."

He added, "So long as I am Labor Minister, there will be no sector-based discrimination in employment, education, or welfare. We are in the Jewish State, not in exile."