|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a_6yNbCisuvs&refer=home
Hamas Funds Gaza Regime with Taxes, Help from "Islamic Friends"
[Bloomberg] Daniel Williams - Gaza's Hamas government is funding its bureaucracy and rocket-launchers through fees on license plates, birth certificates and the like; taxes on smuggled cigarettes and other items; and aid from Islamic and Arab allies. Cigarettes smuggled through tunnels are taxed at $3 a pack, increasing the price to $5. Hamas also charges a levy of $3,000 from each of 150 underground- tunnel operators. Hamas has also taken over sales of one thing that dune-abundant Gaza has plenty of - sand. Construction companies, which use sand for cement, used to harvest it free. Now, Hamas sells it.