Posted on 03/01/2002 12:30:04 AM PST by GeronL
EU Institutes Yesha Tax
The European Union has decreed that importers must pay a deposit of 5-11% on goods from Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights. The tax will of course be charged back to the Israeli producers, and the livelihoods of thousands of Jewish and Arab workers from both sides of the Green Line will thus be affected. The Barkan industrial zone near Ariel, for example, employs 4,500 workers - including Israelis from the Tel Aviv area and from Judea and Samaria, as well as Arabs. A spokeswoman for Barkan told Arutz-7 that no companies have left the industrial area, "and more want to come, but so far there is no room." She said that this is "truly a difficult decree, but I believe and hope that Regional Council head Bentzi Lieberman, the Yesha Council, and MKs such as Uri Ariel are working hard to get it nullified... At worst, the government should compensate us for it; the $6-8 million annually are a grave blow for us, but affordable for the government."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.