The impression of a huge decrease in business activity in Israel - Not true

During January, there was a noticeable decline in business activity in Israel. Ruthi Bank Automated announced that there was a decrease of nearly 12% in credit card expenses in January - in the expenses of Israelis in businesses. In contrast, there was an increase in expenses in online transactions, which brings the monthly decrease compared to December to only 3.3%.
There was also a decrease in the withdrawal of cash from ATMs, at a rate of about 12%. What is more interesting is the fact that this is the third month in a row that such a decline has been recorded, which may indicate a change in consumption habits that is not necessarily related to Corona (there was also a decline in cash withdrawals in November, despite a record credit card transactions).
In other words: injury - yes, a fatal blow - absolutely no. So where does the confusion come from? Maybe because we have already forgotten what a fatal injury is. When comparing the data for January 2021, which corresponds to last year, when the vaccination campaign that led to the opening of the economy was then partially closed, there is a 10% improvement in cash withdrawals, 11.7% in online transactions, and 42.7% increase in physical credit card expenses compared to January 2021.
The data provide a pretty clear picture of the month in which there was the greatest omicron impact, which could be reduced to three words: painful, but less so.
So where did the impression of a fatal business hit following the particularly contagious virant come from? The answer, believe it or not, leads to the culprits in almost all the troubles of the Israeli economy, from the level of organized labor, through the education system, to agriculture - and now also to small businesses: the activists.
In the previous government period for the business. First of all, the previous closures were more hermetic - from the first one that prevented the public from leaving the house for more than 100 meters, an instruction that meant almost complete paralysis of trading activity, to partial closures that left entire industries (sometimes the malls) closed and closed.
In such a situation extensive government assistance is required - and indeed it is given quite effectively (after a faltering start), perhaps even too effectively: Hundreds of millions are left in the hands of business owners who have filed “inaccurate” affidavits to the tax authorities. Although this amount (meaning the excess compensation, not true compensation of course) was obtained illegally, the state granted an extension to repay it. Those who are pressured - paid. Whoever read Walla! Realized that it was not worth rushing and panicking about the tax authority's threats, as another significant extension would be given to repay the amount, which actually happened.
In any case, beyond specific industries, the compensation was given to those who experienced a decrease of at least 20% in their income from a business, quite similar to the Knesset model, which also did not compensate those staying in a full compensation house, but only enough to live with dignity.
Even if the January data show a dismal trend, it is still not a catastrophe that will bring most businesses in Israel even close to the threshold of proving significant harm. It should be noted that some industries have been compensated individually, such as aviation, tourism, the arts and others.
Are there any who were severely injured and were not compensated industry-wide or individually? Certainly, but this is a minority (e.g. the owners of the halls and event complexes that were the loudest in the current protest). Exceptions that do not attest to the rule.
So where does the impression come from that there is a class of business owners here who have suffered severe harm because of the isolationist policies? The answer is pragmatism.
The corona was a fertile ground for self-employed organizations that began long before it. At the height of the protest, thousands took to the streets to protest. As is customary in Israel (after the Rothschild protest), some of its leaders became politicians (after Deputy Minister Avir Kara), but those who remained outside the Knesset, instead of promoting structural reforms that are really needed for the self-employed on issues such as pensions, unemployment and more, focused on compensation.
Fortunately, these were not given generously this time: Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman does not need an election economy and therefore rejected, sometimes rudely that might characterize him from time to time, the requests for horizontal compensation outright. This has driven some of the independents accustomed to the threats working not bad in previous campaigns against the Treasury, but at least this time we avoided plays like millionaires who were compensated and rushed to distribute dividends (even if they deliberately withdrew, under pressure from the media and public).
When comparing January 2022 to November-December 2021, a few more parameters should be added to the equation: If you do not consider Tu B'Shvat, a negligible holiday as far as shopping is concerned, then November was the online shopping days and moreover, the autumnal and warm weather encouraged leaving home .
December is Hanukkah, when there is always an increase in public spending, of course the New Year celebrations also contribute to an increase in spending. In January 2022 not only was no date recorded that entailed expenses, the insulation was also wrapped up in cold and rainy weather.
In other words: the relative sparsity we experienced on the road (which is also a blessing for some businesses) and in the shopping centers, was unpleasant, but usually not terrible either - and in any case, not related to the insulation alone.
Since the issue is already almost behind us (until the next wave, hopefully it will be easy), the bitter January can be summed up by the fact that the main bitter taste he left is to see the self-employed become a captive audience by their businessmen, just like many workers who wanted to join. They were employed but found themselves pioneers in a game where the big and rich committees are the ones who set the rules, just as the teachers who instead of taking care of the education of the children of Israel found themselves as soldiers of the secretary of the teachers' union, Yaffa Ben David.
Just like the small farmers that agriculture activists, rich in quota governors, have turned into poor people who work hard, only to be able to hide behind their backs when the demand for justifiable reform arises - and even in the Holy of Holies: , Whenever the just demand arises to transfer the tenants in them to personal contracts and to repay all the rest of the pension minors we will be paid.
As a self-employed person, I only say this: Save me from lovers of activists - and the plagues of the economy, from the economic slowdown, through inflation to the next variant - I will already save myself.