Israel also has a Value Added Tax that can be claimed upon departure Upon returning home, you must declare all articles acquired abroad and pay a duty on the value of articles that exceed the allowance established by your coun- try's customs service. Keeping receipts will help establish values when you return. Goods and gifts purchased at duty-free shops abroad are not exempt from duty or sales tax at your point of return; you must declare these items as well. "Duty-free" merely means that you need not pay a tax in the country of purchase. In the past few years, prices in Israel have increased markedly on account of infla- tion. If you stay in hostels and prepare your own food, expect to spend anywhere from US$30-60 per person per day. Accommodations start at about US$10 per night for a bed in a hostel and US$20 per night for a single, while a basic sit-down meal costs US$10. Carrying cash with you, even in a money belt, is risky but necessary; personal checks from home are usually not accepted and even traveler's checks may not be accepted in some locations. CURRENCY AND EXCHANGE The primary unit of currency is the New Israeli Shekel . Notes come in denom- inations of NIS200, NIS100, NIS50, NIS20, and NIS10; coins come in NIS10, NIS5, NISI, NIS0.50, 10 agorot, and 5 agorot. There are 100 agorot in a shekel. As of August 2002, the currency exchange is as such: US$1