The country’s budget deficit for the last 12 months remains at 3.8% of the GNP, unchanged from the previous month above the 2.8% that government had targeted. For the first five months of 2019, the cumulative deficit has been NIS 15. 1 billion. This compares with NIS 2.3 billion the year before. The expenses of the civilian departments of the government have gone up by 15.8%, compared to a planned increase of 6%. Defense expenses went up by 2.9%, instead of the budgeted 1.9%. Income also went up to NIS 135.1 billion, an increase of NIS 4 billion from last year.
