By JEREMY SHARON 03/20/2012 03:19
Tax arrangement was originally agreed upon between the state and the Bahai movement in 1987.
The Justice Ministry announced on Monday that it has renewed a deal with the Bahai World Center in Israel exempting it from indirect taxes for another five-year term.
The announcement comes ahead of the holiday of Naw-Ruz, the Bahai New Year that takes place on Wednesday. The tax arrangement was originally agreed upon between the state and the Bahai movement in 1987.
Representatives of the Bahai faith, headed by Albert Lincoln, the secretary-general of the center, welcomed the signing of the agreement, which he said benefits both Israel and the Bahai community.
The implementation of the agreement is supervised by an interministerial committee, headed by the director of the Justice Ministry, Dr. Guy Rotkoff, who approved the continuation of the arrangement.
The Bahai have been a recognized religious community in Israel since 1971.
The government will transfer funds equivalent to any indirect outlays incurred by the World Bahai Center or any of its associated non-profit organizations for activities it carries out in operating and developing the sites.
Rotkoff underlined the importance of the relationship with the Bahai center, especially for the activities that it has done to help develop the Galilee region.
It is so good that the Tax exemption has been RENEWED by the Government of Israel. Now while Informing the Bahais about this RENEWED relationship the BELOVED HOUSE OF JUSTICE need not write CONFIDENTIAL.
• Why not freedom of teaching the Bahai Faith to the Jews citizen of Israel?
• Why the citizen of Israel should be deprived of the HEALING MESSAGE OF BAHA'U'LLAH?
• Why the Children and Jr. Youth of Israel should be deprived of opportunity of becoming a good human being and achieving excellence in material, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of life through our STUDY CIRCLES, CHILDREN MORAL CLASSES and JR. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMMES.