You may recall that in the runup to the previous elections, MK Abir Kara and his Yamina party vowed to establish a regulatory authority in charge of reducing red tape for business owners. Deputy Minister Kara has previously asserted that without the establishment of this organization he would not support the state budget.
Today, however, Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) and Minister of Transportation Merav Michaeli (Labor) demanded an immediate discussion at the Ministerial Committee regarding the reform with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. According to them, it would end up harming government ministries.
Deputy Economy Minister Yair Golan of Meretz claimed that, "the establishment of the regulatory authority is a bad idea that was woven in the dark by members of the (right-leaning) Kohelet Forum. Reducing bureaucracy and a free market are empty slogans that distort the real goal - elimination of the welfare state," said Golan.
MK Bezalel Smotrich of the Religious Zionism party also voiced opposition to the reform.
''Experience indicates that [additional] bureaucracy and legalization only create more regulations and get in the way of the free market. Meretz is right this time. Disconnecting between [the Knesset] and [its responsibility to manage the state economy] isn't a good idea," he was quoted as saying.
Coalition Chairman MK Idit Silman of Yamina and Yesh Atid's Deputy Coalition Chairman MK Boaz Toporovsky referred to demands to remove the regulatory authority from the Arrangements Law, arguing that, "the Knesset is not only the legislature, but also the authority that oversees government actions in cases like the Arrangements Law just like the state budget."
''Over the years, changes have always been made to the arrangement and budget laws before being put to a Knesset vote. We are aware of and are taking part in the ongoing talks between the government, Treasury Department, and Speaker of the Knesset, MK Miki Levy, who is leading discussions regarding the new bill and addressing demands for a reduction in the reforms as they have been outlined thus far. Reaching compromise on these issues is crucial for putting the budget and arrangement laws to a Knesset vote with the support of all coalition factions," they said.
"Coalition heads, together with faction leaders, and coalition MKs will continue to work side-by-side, meeting the challenges in our path to pass important state laws," commented Silman and Toporovsky.