Israel Matzav

This will make him really popular

Unelected 'Palestinian Prime Minister' Salam Fayyad is said to have no base of support in the 'Palestinian Authority.' Despite that small detail, Fayyad now wants to give the 'Palestinians' a basic education in economics by raising taxes.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Sunday that taxes must rise to reduce dependence on donors.

Fayyad, a former World Bank economist, faced a barrage of questions on the state of the economy during a meeting with journalists in Ramallah.

Reporters asked Fayyad what support his government would offer to assist struggling families and the unemployed, and whether taxes would rise.

The PA premier said in order to provide support for citizens, Palestinians faced a choice between aid dependency and increased taxes.

"If you don’t want us to depend on the donors more, then taxes will have to increase. What do you want? Taxes or support?" he asked.

Fayyad said the cost of living had increased by 40 percent since 2001, and that salaries increased by 50 percent over the same period.

How does he think he's going to collect these increased taxes? Who is going to pay them? The only people in the 'Palestinian Authority' who make enough money through work to have to pay these taxes are the rich and powerful (like Abu Bluff's sons), who are likely to tell the unelected Fayyad to take a hike. And so long as the dhimmis in the West are willing to continue footing the bill, why should the average 'Palestinian' care if the 'Palestinian Authority' gets 40% or 60% or 80% or 100% of its income from 'foreign aid'?

The rest of the article ought to be of interest to decision makers in the West. It describes how Fayyad has 'tricked' the Western governments by funding projects in Area C (the parts of Judea and Samaria that are under total Israeli control), near the 'security fence' and even in Jerusalem.

But the Western countries providing the aid are unlikely to pay attention to Fayyad's bragging. And why should they? If Israel won't stop Fayyad from executing projects in those areas, why should anyone else?

Labels: international aid, Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad, tax increases

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:51 PM