烟草在线据以色列国家新闻网报道编译　　在以色列财政部长亚伊尔·拉皮德(Yair Lapid)提出一项预算削减和增税计划的几小时后，他签署了一项命令，要求提高卷烟、卷烟烟叶和雪茄的价格。

　　这项在午夜开始生效的命令，使卷烟的价格每盒提高了2.5至3谢克尔。税务机关指出，国家有望通过提价每年收入大约8亿谢克尔。

　　这样的提价可以由财政部长决定，而不需要引入新的立法，并且通常不会事先通知，以防止商家和顾客在提价前囤积商品。

　　5月7日提出的计划中的其他措施，包括所得税提高1.5%，预计将带来超过40亿谢克尔的税收；增值税提高1%，达到18%，以及对儿童的支援减少到每个孩子每月140谢克尔。

　　每个政府部门必须削减1%的职员，并且在2015年之前不再雇佣新的职员。外交部将削减5个国外办事处。

　　拉皮德在谈到预算削减计划时说：“是的，这很难，我们知道这将很难做到，但当它真的发生时，情况还是不一样。”

　　“削减预算很困难，人们很生气，但是，这恰恰意味着承担责任：明知山有虎，偏向虎山行，”他继续说。

　　拉皮德说，提税也冲击到了新部门。“多年来第一次，以色列中产阶级不再是唯一纳税的群体。这一次，我们做了以前没人敢做的事情，那就是对公司征税，对奢侈品征税。”

Israel: Lapid Raises Cigarette Prices

　　Hours after he introduced a plan which includes budget cuts and tax increases, Finance Minister Yair Lapid signed an order calling to raise the prices of cigarettes, tobacco for cigarettes and cigars.

　　The order, which went into effect at midnight, sees the prices of cigarettes rising by 2.5 to 3 shekels per pack. Tax authorities indicated that the State is expected to see an income of about 800 million shekels per year as a result of the increase.

　　Such increases in prices can be decided upon by the Finance Minister without the need to introduce new legislation, and are usually announced without prior warning in order to prevent merchants and customers from stocking up on supplies before the price increase.

　　Other measures in the plan introduced on Tuesday include a 1.5% increase in income tax, which is expected to bring in more than 4 billion shekels, a 1% increase in the VAT, to 18%, and a reduction of child payments to 140 shekels per child per month.

　　Each government ministry will be required to cut their staff by 1%, and there will be no new hires until 2015. The Foreign Ministry will cut five foreign offices.

　　Lapid spoke about the planned budget cuts, saying, "Yes. It's hard. We knew it would be hard, but it's different when it actually happens."

　　"It's hard, people are angry. But this is exactly what it means to take responsibility: to do what is hard, knowing that people will be angry at you," he continued.

　　Taxes are now hitting new sectors as well, Lapid said. "For the first time in years the Israeli middle class isn't the only one paying the price. This time we went where nobody had dared to go before: tax on corporations, on luxury goods…" Enditem