Q&A: Smuggling the Money Away?
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Smuggling the Money Away?
Question
It is now being reported that the Minister of Finance is plotting to lay his hands on our pensions.
We save for years,
and now money is needed for the settlements and for the Haredim,
and there is not enough in the treasury,
since there is a war.
Is it advisable to move the remaining money abroad so that lawless hands will not gain control over it?
Answer
I haven’t heard about this. If you can transfer it, then I don’t see any obstacle. Though I find it hard to believe that this is possible. Unless this is just protest trolling?…
I haven’t found any mention of the above anywhere (aside from accusations by “people in the know” that Smotrich’s vague steps are meant to prepare the ground for it).
In any case, there is talk about canceling tax benefits on mortgages. I didn’t understand whether this also applies to withdrawing funds that were deposited before the benefit was canceled. If so, in my view that is very serious—different from imposing a new tax. Many people paid more than the minimum into their pension because of the benefits (I’m one of them). In general, taking money from you retroactively feels like theft.
I don’t have the energy to stop and define the matter precisely; maybe the state is our agent with a blank check and can say, “In the end it turned out more expensive than we thought,” but this looks and smells like theft.
(Maybe Michi will look into the matter for us. Maybe it’s completely glatt to take all our money.)