Rep. Seymour Halpern, N.Y. Rep., a member of the House International Finance Subcommittee, criticized the Administration’s proposals for a tax on tourism today on the grounds that a travel tax, “in effect, is a slap in the face to Israel in view of that nation’s arrangements to honor her 20th anniversary of independence with many tourist features.” He said the tourist tax would be “a silly drop in the bucket of the balance of payments” and said what was needed was “tax reform — not tax increase.”
The New Yorker told the House that Americans should not be penalized for wishing to visit Israel, Italy, Greece or other nations “where we need friends.” He was supported by Rep. James A. Burke, Mass. Dem., who expressed fear that the measure would hurt the economies of Ireland and Israel.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
