To mutche: I’m going to bet that you have absolutely no source whatsoever for your claimed “facts.” You say that “percentage-wise there are more chareidim working than there are chilonim.” To that I’ll say “Did you know that 97.4% of all statistics are just made up on the spot?” I’m gonna call “bluff” because you’re incorrect – by far.
As for your claim that chareidi families have larger families and therefore pay more “of their monthly meager income to food taxes etc, than the average chiloni family.” OK, so apparently you don’t understand some basics of economics (that’s one of those things you need to learn in school in order to get a good job).
Firstly, there are more working chareidim here than admit to it. They often work in cash or somehow off the books – this means that they’re NOT paying any income taxes at all so take them out of the equation.
Secondly, the ones that do work on the books often do in fact have meager incomes (as you pointed out). That means that they don’t meet the threshold for paying income taxes at all so take that next group out of the equation. Many others just make it into the lowest tax brackets which don’t cover the expense of the services that they use.
Thirdly, you complain (assumingly on their behalf) that they only earn a meager income. Problem with your argument is that they created that problem! In fact, now that they’ve been creating that problem for quite a few years now, they refuse to help change the situation even to help their own tzibur!
Fourthly, the VAT that is paid on food or other things here is 17%. In contrast, the income tax brackets for most non-chareidi perople are significantly higher than that (sometimes double or more!). There’s also bituach leumi (social security taxes). That means that the non-chareidi families are paying the 17% VAT *on top of* the income taxes & bituach leumi they already pay from their salaries.
Fifthly, tuition for chareidi schools are often heavily susidized here unlike in the US. Your comment about the chareidi private schools somehow saving a lot of money is bizaare and wrong. It makes me think you don’t live here or certainly don’t know the reality of what’s going on here.
I think the basic problem comes down to this – the chareidi tzibur (especially the leadership) base all of their calculations on some kind of magical mathematics where everything is free except for the things you actually buy (housing, food, clothes). The truth is, while we all hate taxes, they actually do pay for the things we use on a daily basis. Healthcare, roads, public lighting, police, garbage collection, water and electrical infrastructure, parks, airport, municipal and national government, defense, kitzvat yeladim, disability coverage, etc, etc, etc. If you are a family who lives here (even if you’re not a citizen) then you use most or all of these services. If you don’t pay full taxes then you’re NOT FINANCIALLY CONTRIBUTING TO THE COUNTRY. Instead, you are taking tremendous amounts of money from the country.