How much is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu worth? The question, which went viral this week, has become the focus of Israel’s economic journalists.

It is no secret that Netanyahu is one of Israel’s wealthiest politicians. He is certainly the wealthiest person to serve as prime minister. In 2019, Forbes estimated his personal wealth at around 50 million Israeli shekels ($14.5 million).

Nevertheless, questions about how robust financially Netanyahu really is were raised this week, following a decision by the Knesset’s Finance Committee June 23 to approve a request by the prime minister’s office for a retroactive tax rebate for the prime minister, to be issued by the state. This total amount is estimated to be close to 1 million shekels ($291,000).

The request was presented to the committee by Netanyahu’s close confidant, Knesset member and coalition chairman Miki Zohar. He argued that Netanyahu had been harassed by the tax authorities, which want to make him “financially handicapped.” Making matters worse, claimed Zohar, this comes at a time when the prime minister is busy working on behalf of the country from early morning to late at night, leaving him no time to deal with his personal affairs.