Deputy Attorney General, Adv. Gil Limon, sent a harsh letter yesterday to the Director General of the Interior Ministry, Israel Uzan, in which he rejected the ministry’s refusal to revoke municipal tax (arnona) discounts for young haredi couples whose husbands do not serve in the army.
Limon ordered that the process of amending the regulations continue and determined that the ministry’s position does not comply with the instructions of the High Court of Justice.
The background to the letter is the “Solberg ruling" by the High Court, which required the Interior Ministry to decide by yesterday how it intends to act on the issue of the discounts.
On Thursday, the ministry’s Director General announced that he does not intend to advance the sanction, presenting a series of arguments - including concerns about harming the stability of local authorities, the risk of families falling into poverty, and doubts regarding the authority of local governments to enforce conscription policy.
Limon rejected these arguments outright. In his letter, he wrote that the High Court and professional bodies have identified the removal of arnona discounts as an effective tool for enforcing conscription obligations, and that arguments regarding harm to disadvantaged populations and to local authorities do not constitute sufficient justification. “We will not be able to legally defend this position," he wrote.
Regarding possible social consequences, Limon responded cautiously: “Removing an arnona discount may be significant economically for many households, and therefore it was identified as an effective step to encourage those liable for conscription. If consequences materialize, it is presumed that state authorities will formulate appropriate responses."
Limon also added that there is a procedural issue: the matter was not brought before the ministerial level, since for the past ten months there has been no Interior Minister in office, and the relevant authority was not transferred to the Prime Minister as required.
The letter comes one day after the publication of new guidelines stating that religious institutions where “draft evaders" study may lose eligibility for tax benefits on donations.
The guidelines were formulated in a senior meeting attended by the Justice Ministry, the Tax Authority, and the Corporations Authority, ahead of a scheduled High Court hearing in July. The Tax Authority is expected to publish an official announcement in the coming days.