JTF.ORG Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Irish Zionist on January 03, 2010, 04:16:40 PM
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(IsraelNN.com)
The Hamas parliament in Gaza approved the Hamas Gaza government's budget for 2010 on Saturday. The budget stands at $540 million, $60 million of which was collected in taxes from Gaza residents and in import duties. The rest - $480 million – comes from donations by world governments and non-profit organizations.
Much of the tax money was collected from imports smuggled through the underground tunnels running from Sinai to Gaza. The Hamas government collects a Value Added sales Tax of 14.5% on all imports from Egypt, and security officials estimate that some $650 million worth of goods are smuggled in from Egypt annually. In addition, the Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah provides a substantial sum of its budget to pay for electricity and water in Gaza, PA sources said.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/177754