The Israel Cabinet today appointed a special Ministerial committee to set up a system for controlling the various fund-raising drives carried on here and abroad in behalf of Israeli institutions. The Finance Minister was empowered to exempt specific agencies, such as the United Jewish Appeal, Hadassah and others, from the terms of the control measure.
The committee was instructed to provide for the issuance of Israel Government permits for organizations which collect funds here and abroad. These organizations will be required to submit financial records showing how they use the money they raise. The law will affect Israel citizens, primarily, but to some extent control will be imposed on funds collected abroad.
A Cabinet spokesman explained that the law would not affect the Jewish Agency. “In this case, as in every other, the government works in fullest cooperation with the Agency,” he declared.
Another Cabinet committee was appointed to prepare a law punishing new settlers who misuse or misappropriate supplies and machinery provided by the government or the Agency for communal use. Many cases have been unearthed of settlers who misuse or sell livestock and machinery given to them for communal use and up to now there has been no legal means of punishing or even suing new settlers who abused such property. One of a variety of punishments in the proposed law will be expulsion of such people from the settlement to which they were assigned.
DISCUSSES BALANCING OF BUDGET UNDER NEW ECONOMIC POLICY
The Cabinet also continued its discussion on balancing the current budget. New problems have arisen because high prices caused by recent government economic policies have forced the reallocation of funds. The members of the government are said to be determined not to ask Parliament for additional funds, but to manipulate the budget as it stands and make it do for as much of the spending program as possible. Also considered was a bill for a memorial to victims of the Nazis and their allies in the last war.
Ehud Avriel, director of the Premier’s Office was named to take over the direction of the Finance Ministry from David Horowitz, who resigned that post and a position on the government economic advisory council.
The Cabinet also decided to introduce “double summer time,” setting the clock ahead two full hours for the next two months. The new time schedule, which goes into effect at midnight this coming Saturday, is expected to save some $50,000.
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