Tax Authorities Raid Lulav and Etrog Street Vendors

Israeli tax official surprised hundreds of Lulav and Etrog vendors around the country on Monday when they began a secret operation to determine if the sellers were reporting their sales, providing receipts, and paying taxes on revenues from their booths.

Vendors report that they don’t remember a raid like this ever happening before.

Lulav and Etrog sales are primarily a cash business, and they are sold by vendors, often teenagers, who set up tables and booths on streets throughout Israel before the Sukkot holiday. The business itself is more complicated with a group importers and distribution centers providing the majority of the temporary street vendors with their products.

Sukkot’s Lulav and Etrog sales is a multi-millions dollar industry.