The Cancer Society has filed a petition to the High Court, seeking conditional orders for the cancellation of tax exemptions on smoking products entering Israel. The society argues that the subsidy for smoking products creates a severe distortion with no substantive justification.
The petition states that the government of Israel has authorized the Minister of Finance to cancel the duty-free exemption on smoking products, but instead of doing so, they have maintained it until 2028. The Cancer Society highlights the significant threat smoking poses to public health, causing illness, disability, and premature death. They mention that smoking products purchased duty-free benefit from tax exemption, leading to lower prices than in other parts of Israel.
The association claims that the subsidy for smoking products purchased duty-free endangers lives and creates a distortion in the market. They criticize the Minister of Finance for withdrawing a draft order to abolish the tax exemption and instead installing an order to maintain it until 2028. The Cancer Society argues that this decision was made for reasons outside of the Minister of Finance’s authority and violates the government’s decision to end the subsidy.
The association believes that the public interest has been sacrificed for improper considerations, resulting in billions of shekels spent by the health system due to the harms of smoking. They claim that the Minister of Finance’s decision to maintain
