The coalition is working to approve the trapped profits law before the start of the new year despite resistance from members of Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism.
Otzma Yehudit stated they would oppose the law due to 'harm to police, prison service, and firefighters' while United Torah Judaism announced opposition due to delays in approving the draft law.
The coalition, which consists of 68 members, is losing the support of six Otzma Yehudit members and three United Torah Judaism members, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is still hospitalized and the opposition refuses to remove a member to accomodate him - a traditional but not mandatory courtesy.
This leaves the coalition with only 58 supporters while the opposition has 52 Knesset members. This means that if only six coalition members oppose the law, it will fail.
In an attempt to prevent the law from failing, the coalition called upon Knesset member Boaz Bismuth to attend the Knesset plenum even though he is still mourning for his mother.
The trapped profits tax is intended to reduce the budget deficit—a law which also faces opposition from the business sector. However, sources in the treasury stated today that if the law is not approved, it would be necessary to find alternative ways to increase the state's revenues.