<< Prev || עברית || Français || Русский || Next >>

Part Three - The Social Program

Restoring the Status of the Family (1/2)

The family is the cornerstone of society and culture. The image and identity of a person is formed in the family unit, both as an individual and as part of the community and society. The strength of the family is the decisive factor in the development of children who grow up in it to become healthy, independent, happy and ethical adults. Therefore, preserving the strength of the family unit is a social and national task of the highest order.

Just as individual liberty and the integration of a person's identity are essential to his growth and full potential, so too the family requires independence and the ability to function as an integrated and organic unit in order to be strong and to prosper. Although there are unfortunate cases in which the state must initiate interference in the family unit to avoid injury, as a general rule, the family knows how to protect the interests of its members, especially its children, and to ensure their well-being – more than anyone else.

Too often, when the state seeks to dictate culture and shape man's image, it undermines the independence of the family unit and interferes unnecessarily with its decisions. The responsibility and authority of the family to see to the safety and well-being of its members and the education of its children are violated in favor of cultural and educational ideas dictated from above, or as a result of laws and regulations seeking to regulate every aspect of the lives of individuals.

This is most blatant in the painful case of the dissolution of the family unit due to separation or divorce. In this situation, the intervention of the state is required in order to ensure that the welfare and best interests of the children are secured and that the rights and duties of the parents are maintained while maintaining equality. In this case, the state should serve as a mediator and conciliator and allow the creation of a framework for cooperation between the parents in the raising of their children. Instead, it tends to take advantage of its authority to impose its own conditions on the divorcing couple, and thereby encourages disputes and legal battles that harm the couple's ability to overcome the crisis and to continue to raise their children, often creating a breach between the children and one of the parents.

Zehut will act to preserve and develop the independence of the family unit, especially when it comes to the education of the children and shared economic decisions.

In the case of the family unit, Zehut will change the role of the state so that it will resolve disputes rather than encouraging them. Zehut will promote a concept of shared parental responsibility for children of divorced parents and carrying the burden of raising them, affording both sides equal and fair treatment both in division of common property and in child rearing.

Strengthening the Independence of the Family Unit

Excluding exceptional cases, the state has no right and no reason to interfere in decisions made within the framework of the family unit. This is because the average family is perfectly capable of protecting the interests of its members.

Strengthening the independence of the family unit is the best way to ensure the well-being of family members. Zehut will strengthen this independence by following these steps:

Parental Responsibility for Education

Zehut will enable choice for education,[11] which will restore to parents the sole authority to choose the educators of their children and the curriculum, and allow them to take full responsibility for their children's education. The option of choice in education will increase the involvement of parents in education and in formulating the moral and cultural world of their children.

In keeping with the principle of shared parental responsibility, responsibility for the education of their children will fall equally on both parents, even if they separate. Parents who separate will be required to come to an agreement about the educational institution in which their children will learn. The state will be able to bridge and offer a compromise, but will not be able to, as a rule, require the parents to send their children to an educational institution that is not acceptable to even one of them.

Flat Tax Structure and Independence of the Family Unit

In most families, the couple manage their affairs jointly. They hold joint bank accounts and shared property, live in the same house and divide the various household chores between them. Despite this, the current tax system does not allow couples the fundamental freedom to divide the family income as they see fit. Under current law, if one spouse is spending more time and effort at work or career advancement, he is liable to reach a higher tax bracket, so that the family will have less income than in a situation where the income is distributed more evenly between the spouses.

There are many reasons why a couple may decide that one of them will be the main breadwinner, leaving more free time for the other spouse to raise their children or pursue personal goals. Israel's present tax system could tip the balance against these aspirations, harming the independence of families and their ability to make joint economic decisions and choose a lifestyle appropriate for themselves.

Zehut proposes a different and simpler tax system – a flat tax. In this method, there are no tax brackets. Income is taxed at a fixed percentage, independent of how high the income is, and it therefore does not matter whether it comes from the salary of one spouse or the salaries of both of them together. This will allow family members to support each other and to work towards achieving common aspirations, thereby contributing to the cohesion and independence of the family unit.

[10] The method is described in the chapter on education in this section.

[11] Through a voucher system, described in the chapter on education in this section.

<< Prev || עברית || Français || Русский || Next >>