Free hospitalization for three years for all new immigrants is one of a variety of special benefits for newcomers to Israel to be incorporated in the next budget, Finance Minister Pinhas Sapir told the Israeli Parliament last night.
Under the proposed new regulations, newcomers will be exempt from death duties on all assets they bring with them and all goods purchased with foreign currency. Older immigrants will be entitled to old-age pensions even if they are unqualified by lack of contributions to the national insurance program for a minimum period, he said.
The immigrants will be entitled to a free university education for three years, and their children will be entitled to free secondary schooling for the same period. Three-and-a-half room apartments will be available for rentals of $45 a month for three years. Immigrants will have the option of buying the apartments later on easy-term mortgages.
The elimination of red tape and a system of economic incentives to encourage prospective immigrants, particularly from Western countries, is being worked out between the Jewish Agency and the Israel Government; Jewish Agency chairman Aryeh Pincus disclosed today. The incentives, he said, will be in the form of reduced customs duties and other tax reductions for immigrants, which will be included in the national budget for the next fiscal year. Immigration and absorption procedures will be streamlined, so that every prospective immigrant will have only “one man to deal with,” Mr. Pincus said.
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