High Court Orders Interior Minister Gideon Saar to Rule on Tax Discounts for Draft Evaders
The High Court gave Interior Minister Gideon Saar 30 days to decide on conditioning municipal tax discounts on military service status. The court also ordered transport and finance ministers to rule on public transport benefits.
The High Court of Justice has ordered Interior Minister Gideon Saar to reach a decision within 30 days on whether and how to condition municipal property tax (arnona) discounts on regularization of military service status for draft-eligible individuals. The ruling follows an update submitted by the state and a petition filed by the Israel Hofsheet movement, amid Saar taking office as Minister of the Interior.
Earlier, Israel Hofsheet argued in its petition that with Saar's appointment, the primary justification previously cited by the state for delaying the decision had been removed. According to the movement, there is no longer any excuse to delay stripping draft evaders of municipal tax discounts. The organization noted that a previous court directive required the interior minister or acting minister to decide within 35 days whether to amend the arnona discount regulations to tie eligibility to military service status with the IDF.
A panel of Supreme Court justices—composed of Noam Solberg, Daphne Barak-Erez, David Mintz, Yael Wilner, and Ofer Grosskopf—set a 30-day window for the decision, noting that given Saar's appointment took place on the same day, sufficient time must be allowed for proper consideration. The court emphasized that the ruling does not automatically cancel the discounts, but rather obligates the minister to determine whether and how to amend the regulations.
Additionally, the justices ordered the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Transportation to make a decision within a maximum of 21 days regarding public transport discounts for draft evaders. Regarding other state benefits where professionals believe conditioning on military status is feasible and effective, the court reiterated that authorities must review implementation methods and advance them accordingly.
On the matter of criminal enforcement, the state was instructed to submit a further update detailing ongoing actions, with an emphasis on cooperation between military authorities and the Israel Police. The next update is scheduled to be filed by December 15. The court concluded by stressing that the issue concerns the enforcement of the law, which mandates universal and equal military service.
