Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Sunday, 7 July 2019), presented to the Cabinet the yearbook on lowering the regulatory burden. Prime Minister's Office Deputy Director General Ronen Peretz briefed ministers on its main findings. The book details 58 plans by the various government ministries that will directly save the economy approximately NIS 1.5 billion per annum and lead to a savings of over 7 million days per annum in the numbers of days waiting for permits.

The book includes plans from 12 ministries and three authorities (Tax Authority, Consumer Protection Authority and the Competitiveness Authority). The plans were formulated by the various government ministries and coordinated by the Prime Minister's Office. Existing regulation was evaluated in various fields including around 40 permits and licenses of various kinds, ten import and export procedures; also evaluated were approximately 13 regulatory and / or registration procedures for about 13 professions.

 

In the context of the plans detailed in the book, over 50 requirements were cancelled or reduced (such as cancellation of the demand for a license and test to be a real estate broker, cancellation of the requirement for a minimum number of vehicles to receive a license to operate a vehicle leasing company, and cancellation of structural requirements for small pastry bakeries. Over fifty digitized government processes (such as transition to onlinelicensing examinations, tax payment receipts, etc.) were enacted.

 

These plans are part of the government's five-year plan to reduce the regulatory burden which, along with the other steps that have been decided upon over the past two years, are expected to lead to an annual cumulative savings of over NIS 4 billion and over 49 million waiting days.

 

The significant improvement in regulation in the State of Israel finds expression in the recently-published OECD Product Market Regulation index. The index is published every five years. The 2013 index ranked Israel next-to-last between Turkey and Mexico. In the current index, Israel has jumped 16 places and has overtaken many advanced countries.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting:

 

"The OECD measures us and we see the following: In 2013, out of all the OECD countries, we were almost in last place, meaning that we were over-regulated. Next to us and ahead of us, less good than us – was Turkey. I established and chair a ministerial committee to cut regulation and bureaucracy. I chair the ministerial committee on those of Ethiopian origin, the ministerial committee on national security, the Security Cabinet, and many [other] committees. Five years have passed and the OECD issued a new report a few days ago. We were almost last and now we have jumped 16 places. This is unheard of. In 2018, we jumped to 18th place and are alongside Finland. Now, I am not satisfied with this. I want another jump forward. I want to be above the average; in the middle is not a good place. I want to be one of the least bureaucratic countries, least regulated countries, in the world, because this means money in consumers’ pockets.

 

Last year, the activity that we undertook saved consumers and the State of Israel NIS 1.5 billion. Throughout this period, this jump has saved over NIS 4 billion. We will continue on this path. Today we will be briefed on reducing regulation. This is welcome activity, out of the public eye, but felt in the pocket."

 

Prime Minister's Office Deputy Director General Peretz:

 

"A smart regulatory policy, based on increased effectiveness of regulation on the one hand and a reduced regulatory burden on the other, has found direct expression in the protection of social values, a lower cost of living and an improved workplace. Therefore, it is one of the government's main goals. In the four years that have passed since the start of the five-year plan to reduce the regulatory burden, the Prime Minister's Office, together with the other ministries, has invested major resources and efforts in achieving these goals."

 

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