Finance ministry: In September the state's tax revenues amounted to NIS 35.1 billion

The Accountant General's Division in the Ministry of Finance publishes the data of the state's tax revenues for the month of September 2022, which in fact summarizes the state's tax revenues in the first three quarters of the year.
In September 2022, the state's tax revenues amounted to NIS 35.1 billion, a fairly high amount, but in the analysis of the revenues for the month of September, it must be taken into account that in September 2021, a collection estimated at approximately NIS 8.2 billion was postponed to October 2021 due to the holidays.
Also, in 2021, an amount equal to 25% of sales tax revenue was set aside for the compensation fund, while in 2022 the allocation to the fund was stopped. The amount of the provision was about 0.3 billion shekels for the month of September 2021 and about 2.1 billion shekels for January-September 2021.
However, at uniform tax rates, the state's tax revenues increased in September 2022. In real terms, by 1% compared to September 2021. Collection from direct taxes increased by 3% compared to last year. Collection from indirect taxes decreased by 2% compared to September 2021 and collection from fees decreased by 14%.
The decrease in indirect tax revenues is due to high net VAT revenues in September 2021, partly due to high consumption in Israel as a result of export restrictions. However, if it were not for the low imports received in September 2021 due to the holidays, an even higher decrease would have been recorded. Comparing indirect tax revenues in September 2022 to September 2019, the pre-corona period, this is a real increase of 3% on average per year.
If the monthly data for the month of September tell a complex story, then as far as the state's revenues in the first three quarters of the year are concerned, a celebration: cumulatively in the months of January - September 2022, the revenues amounted to NIS 333.9 billion compared to NIS 276.0 billion (NIS 284.2 billion excluding deferred payments in September 2021 ) in the same period last year.
At uniform tax rates, tax revenues increased by 12%. Revenues from direct taxes increased by 18%, revenues from indirect taxes increased by 4%, and revenues from fees increased by 3%.
What's more: the state managed to beat even its own collection forecast:
The collection forecast for the third quarter of 2022, which was updated in July, amounted to NIS 103.7 billion. In practice, the collection amounted to NIS 106.6 billion, NIS 2.9 billion more than the forecast. The surplus stems from the direct taxes section, and it is partly offset by a lack of income from indirect taxes. The surplus was mostly due to several payments of high amounts in income tax and relatively high income from real estate taxes.
The trend data indicated an increase in tax collection at a rate of 5% from the beginning of 2019 until January 2020. The upward trend was interrupted in March 2020 with the outbreak of the Corona crisis, but was resumed at the end of 2020 and from then until the peak of June 2022 the collection increased at a faster rate than usual. The collection data for the months of July-September 2022 indicate a decrease in collection compared to the June peak. At the same time, the collection today is above the trend line before the Corona crisis.
In September 2022, revenues from indirect taxes amounted to NIS 14.9 billion compared to NIS 7.8 billion in September 2021 (ie NIS 14.8 billion including payments postponed to October 2021).
In real terms and neutralizing the deferral, revenues from indirect taxes decreased by 2%. The decrease, as mentioned, is due to high incomes in September 2021, mainly as a result of high consumption in Israel. However, it should be noted that in September 2021 there were low imports following the holidays, otherwise, an even higher decrease would have been recorded. In comparison between September 2022 and September 2019, this is an increase at an annual rate of 3%. Cumulatively, in January - September 2022, revenues increased, at uniform tax rates, by 4% compared to January - September 2021.
Another figure worth paying attention to is the revenues from the collection of value added tax, which in many media represent the scope of trade activity in Israel. The total net revenues from VAT in September 2022 reached NIS 11.4 billion, a real decrease of 6% compared to the collection of NIS 11.7 billion in September 2021, including payments postponed to October.
 As mentioned, the main decrease is explained by high incomes in September 2021 as a result of the increase in consumption in Israel at the expense of consumption abroad following restrictions on travelers abroad, as well as as a result of an increase in refunds in September 2022 compared to the low level of refunds in September 2021 due to the holidays. Compared to September 2019 data, Net VAT revenues increased at an average annual rate of 3%.
Since the beginning of the year, at uniform tax rates, net VAT revenues have increased by 6% compared to the corresponding period in 2021.
Another interesting data on the fuel tax relates to a topic that has occupied Israelis a lot in recent months, the price of fuel. The state's revenues from the excise tax on fuel, before deducting the diesel settlement refunds, amounted to NIS 1.8 billion in September 2022, a real decrease of 4% compared to September 2021, and this is as a result of the reduction of the excise tax on fuels.
Excise revenues which would have decreased at a more significant rate had it not been for the tax reform. The main goal of the reform was to prevent a widespread phenomenon that has developed in the market in recent years, of the mixing of lubricating oils and solvents, which until then were exempt from tax, in standard fuels subject to excise duty and purchase tax. Following the reform, the volumes of imports and local production of oils and solvents were reduced, and the consumption of diesel fuel increased.