Социально-экономический план

Investing in life – not in wars

• •A deep cut in military spending and an end to funding the war in Gaza, the settlements and the occupation of the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese territories. The scale of investment in wars is equal to 400–500 billion NIS a year. This resource should be distributed for the benefit of all citizens: the cut will allow many resources to be transferred to investment in society, in developing social services, education and health.

A wage that allows a life of dignity

• •Raising the minimum wage and linking it to no less than 70% of the average wage in the economy, which today would put the minimum wage at no less than 56 NIS per hour. Protecting the real wage and the standard of living of workers and their families: a 100% cost-of-living allowance in line with the rise in the price index, starting from the first percent of price increase.

Protecting workers' rights

• •Full enforcement of labor laws, the minimum wage and safety laws, particularly in the industry and construction sectors – for all workers, especially young workers and teenagers, Arabs, women, migrant workers, pensioners and people with disabilities. We work to strengthen collective agreements and to raise wages in the public and private sectors, and to reduce work through contractor and manpower companies, which weakens workers' organizational power and helps harm their rights. Continuous vocational training, from the first workplace until retirement.
• •The interests of workers and of industry in Israel come before the interests and dictates of international corporations, the United States, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Protecting local production from imports at dumping prices, and imposing tariffs on the United States similar to the tariffs the United States imposed on Israel.

Tax The Rich

• •Unlike small businesses, which receive no support at all, giant companies and corporations receive excessive benefits. We will support a tax reform that will force the owners of capital, financial corporations and large companies to pay a real tax: canceling their tax benefits, and raising the tax on financial profits, including stock-market profits, to 30%. Alongside this, we will support an income-tax exemption for employees and self-employed people earning up to the average wage in the economy, and lowering VAT, which harms the weaker sectors, to 10%. We will also support restoring the parallel tax, through which employers financed the health system, up to 5% of the worker's gross wage – so that improved long-term-care insurance can be introduced for the entire population.

Stopping privatization

• •Government companies belong to the public, not to the owners of capital. We will demand the cancellation of all privatization plans for government companies and social services, the nationalization of companies and services that have already been privatized, and democratization in the management of government companies, and the repeal of the undemocratic Arrangements Law, which for decades has enabled harm to welfare and the advancement of privatizations.

Free education

• •Free education from age 0 to university – including advanced degrees, in addition to expanding public daycare centers and kindergartens. We must ensure that education is of high quality – by increasing investment in schools, teachers, education staff and educational resources. Equalizing the budgets that students receive in secular, national-religious, Haredi and Arab education.

Housing is a right

• •Ensuring public housing, for rent or purchase, for all the homeless – without discrimination, rent control so that rent does not exceed 20% of a family's net income, restoring the Public Housing Law, increasing budgets and massive construction of units for rent or for purchase at a reduced price through government companies, as the main means of fighting the high cost of housing. Allocating land for construction to young couples.
• •First apartment without interest: establishing a state mortgage bank to solve the resource shortage of young couples, canceling interest on mortgages for young people and first-home buyers, and lowering interest across the economy.

Strengthening National Insurance

• •Returning all the funds taken from National Insurance over the years to finance the state budget, and stopping the transfer of surpluses to the Treasury. Canceling all the relief given to employers in paying National Insurance contributions. Canceling all the cuts in allowances – including the child allowance, income support and unemployment benefit – and raising the basic allowance, including the old-age allowance, to 25% of the average wage in the economy.

Equality in budgets

• •Equalizing all the budgets directed to all citizens and equalizing the level of social services, education, housing, welfare and development programs – including between Jewish and Arab communities.

Investing in Arab society

• •Implementing the five-year plan for the Arab population, and preparing and implementing dedicated programs to close the gaps between Arab society and Israeli society as a whole, with an emphasis on investment in education, housing, welfare, leisure, infrastructure and public transportation – also in order to eradicate crime. Recognizing Arab communities as development areas, establishing industrial, tourism and leisure zones in Arab communities, and extensive government investment.