The Knesset plenum was scheduled to approve this past late Monday night the government's request to extend the final date for approving the budget for 2015.
The Israeli government is operating without an approved budget for 2015 due to the dissolution of the Knesset before the recent elections for the 20th Knesset. According to law, from the moment a new government is formed, it must approve a new national budget within 150 days. But since that date falls during the month of Yomim Tovim, the Treasury Minister requested an additional 25 day grace period, so that the budget will have a 175 day ultimatum.
The committee responsible for dealing with said request approved it on Monday and the Knesset plenum was supposed to have voted it in during an all night session. Rabbi Uri Maklev of the approving committee said, "The next budget approval must be done through careful and intensive study, examining its every clause in order to repair the ills left by the outgoing government. The advantage of remaining with the limited budget of 2014 is greater than the disadvantage of a hasty approval of a new budget without examining its necessary clauses."
He added, "Discussion of the next budget is essential in light of the faulty budget instituted by the previous government. We are in no rush to continue the faults of the last term, even if we are pressured by a time ultimatum. A hasty approval of the budget can cause many vital and necessary paragraphs to drop by the wayside. Therefore we must hold precise and in depth discussions in order to mend the damages caused by the previous government."
