In 1959, Israel's parliament, the Knesset, enacted a government-proposed Restrictive Trade Practices Law, without a dissenting vote. In urging passage, the Minister of Finance and members of the labour parties comprising the Government had declared that the Law would fulfil an important role in preventing injury to the economy and exploitation of the consumers, taking the place of pervasive governmental controls, and would make a “substantial contribution to competition, efficiency and to the viability of the country's economy”. The principal complaint of legislators outside the labour parties, particularly those associated with the business community, was that the Law did not go far enough in establishing a competitive environment, for “competition is as essential to us as air to breathe”.