Israel's Minister of Finance told a Yisrael Beitenu faction meeting today that, "From mid-February, the economy will be back in full swing."
Liberman met with businesspeople hit by the wave of the Omicron variant sweeping the country and said, "Every day I meet with a group of different self employed people. I hear that people appreciate that we have not imposed a lockdown and we took the decision to cancel furlough payments, and I hope that by the end of the month we will decide to cancel the green pass, except for senior citizens homes and day care centers for the elderly. The Israeli economy is in good shape and we won't abandon anybody. We will provide focused and responsible assistance."
Asked by "Globes," if there will be assistance made available in addition to self-isolation payments for the self-employed, Liberman said, "Tomorrow we will approve a range of steps to inject cash and simplify bureaucratic procedures."
He added, "In Israel, there are more than 800,000 businesses, over half of them very small and the problem is currently cash flow. It won't be like in the past when money was thrown in all directions, even to well-established businesses. We relate responsibly to taxpayers' money. I said before we won't abandon anybody and we won't drop money from a helicopter. Ultimately, we will make it our concern to provide assistance.
"We are helping the business sector - that is the correct approach. We have to help the business sector and the economy is in excellent shape. The data for January 2022 will be similar to January 2020 before Covid. In economics there is ultimately data. It's precise. We have our finger on the pulse and we are satisfied with the results. We are giving out aid not gifts."
Asked about the rising cost of living, Liberman said, "It is part of the price rises worldwide. It stems for a crazy rise in the price of shipping and supply chain problems. Look and you'll see inflation is rising worldwide. We intend taking action on the cost of living but at the moment oil, fuel and gas prices are breaking all-time records and you have to understand the environment we are operating in."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 24, 2022.
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