PLO: Israel is to transfer part of PA tax revenues to Gaza

Secretary of the PLO, Saeb Erekat, said yesterday that the Israeli occupation has told the Palestinian Authority (PA) that it plans to transfer part of its tax revenues to the Gaza Strip, Anadolu reported.

“The Israeli occupation told the PA that it would transfer part of the tax revenues to the Gaza Strip if the PA did not transfer all the previous portions of the taxes voluntarily,” Erekat said, adding that the PA was told of the plan last week.

He did not give more details about the issue or mention what portion of funds would be channeled to the Gaza Strip.

READ: Abbas raises taxes on trucks bringing goods to Gaza

The tax revenues are money collected by the Israeli Ministry of Finance from the commodities heading to the occupied Palestinian territories which is governed by the PA.

In March 2017, the PA launched a number of punitive measures against the besieged Gaza Strip including forcing civil servant into early retirement, slashed workers’ salaries by up to 50 per cent and refusing to pay for Gaza’s electricity bill.

These have exacerbated the humanitarian situation in the Strip which has already suffered under an 11-year Israeli siege which limits the entry of goods and basic essentials.