Report: Israeli Bureaucracy Shows Slight Improvement

Shimon B. Lifkin

YERUSHALAYIM – Israeli bureaucracy – the immovable object that stands in the way of business and threatens the sanity of every citizen – has given detectable indications of improvement, according to a report by the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce

In its regular report on bureaucracy, the FICC found that measures of Israeli services reached a new peak of 6.92 on a 10-point scale (10 being best), surpassing the 2013 peak of 6.87.

“This achievement must continue. Reducing bureaucracy must be one of the central goals of the government’s ministers,” said FICC president Uriel Lynn, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The index is based on surveys of businesses which are asked to rate the various ministries on their service, as reflected in wait times, availability of representatives, and quality of service.

In the ministerial breakdown the court system topped the list with a score of 7.4. After that came the Economy Ministry and the National Insurance Institute.

The Transportation Ministry came in last, falling from its 2nd place ranking of 7.02 in 2015 to 6.56, probably because of protracted strike by drivers license testers.

The World Bank’s 2016 Ease of Doing Business Index saw Israel fall three places in the rankings, to 53rd, down 23 spots since 2009, when it was ranked 30th.

In March, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu established a permanent committee to discuss methods of reducing bureaucracy.