Bnei Brak Mayor Rabbi Yissochor Frankentahl said he would
provide double matching funds for any sum municipal
collections department workers collect beyond the anticipated
amount for the 2006 fiscal year, using the funds to develop
infrastructures around the city.
The announcement accompanied the annual report on property
tax and water bill collection. Last year the mayor announced
that he would make available funding comparable to amounts
workers collected beyond the anticipated amount. Last year,
the additional amount collected came to NIS 10 million and in
response the mayor approved NIS 10 million for development
and environment quality.
The report data shows Bnei Brak collected 3.34 percent more
than the NIS 157 million ($33 million) collected during the
previous year.
This growth pattern has been constant. In 2003, NIS 147
million ($31 million) was collected and in 2004, NIS 152
million ($32 million). This growth has special significance
considering that the socioeconomic state of many residents
did not increase last year at all compared to the previous
year. Special efforts were made to collect back taxes through
various enforcement means, producing an increase of 30
percent. In 2003, NIS 27 million was collected in back taxes,
compared to NIS 29.5 million in 2004 and NIS 38 million in
2005.
In the area of water bill collection a 13 percent increase
was reported with a total of NIS 46 million for 2005,
compared to NIS 41 million in 2004 and NIS 38 million in
2003. Collection of unpaid water bills rose 4.5 percent in
2005 to NIS 8.2 million, compared to 7.9 million in 2004.
The number of property tax discounts decreased from 2,470 to
2,343 and discounts for retirees and Bituach Leumi allotment
recipients decreased from 8,841 to 8,534. In the category of
discounts for income support allotment recipients, discounts
decreased from 1,945 in 2004 to 1,768 in 2005. Meanwhile, due
to difficult economic conditions and cuts in government
allotments, discounts based on financial circumstances rose
from 9,440 in 2004 to 9,695 in 2005.
Discounts for municipality employees were eliminated based on
the Economic Arrangements Law and the municipality's recovery
program. Last year these discounts totaled NIS 167,817.
Discounts for payment by standing bank order were also
cancelled. These discounts totaled an average of NIS 2
million per year.
Property taxes were collected for 42,397 properties, of which
36,220 were residential.
Due to a lack of lots for private construction, the size of
the properties increased only slightly last year, rising 0.82
percent to a total of 2,786,503 square meters. In contrast,
offices and other commercial spaces grew by 3.24 percent,
from 277,912 square meters in 2004 to 286,922 square meters
in 2005.
The figures and conclusions from the report were also
presented at a forum for revenue administration workers
attended by the mayor, the municipal treasurer, accountant
Aharon Adler, and Municipal Revenue Commissioner Shlomo
Itzkovitz, who was responsible for the report. The mayor
thanked the workers, particularly Mr. Itzkovitz, for their
efforts to expand the collection system and improve
efficiency, noting that the substantial increase in the
amount of revenue collected would allow the development of
services in various areas such as education and the city's
appearance and preclude the need to dismiss additional
workers as part of the recovery program designed to stabilize
the city treasury.
