Ministry of Economy: Ashdod taking first place in "friendliness" for small and medium-sized businesses

The Small and Medium Business Agency in the Ministry of Economy and Industry published today (Sunday) the index of doing business in local authorities in Israel, in which the 75 authorities with the largest number of businesses were ranked.
The index, which is being published for the fifth year, examines the level of "friendliness" of the local authority for small and medium-sized businesses in its area - by weighting four different ratings in each local authority: business satisfaction, access to tenders, access to information and property taxes.
The index divides the authorities into three groups according to the number of residents, with Ashdod taking first place in the big cities for the third time in a row. Ramat Gan dropped from second to eighth, Bat Yam dived from fourth to 12, and Netanya dropped from fifth to 13th.
Among the big cities that climbed in the rankings this year: Petah Tikva, which rose from sixth place to second place; Rehovot, which jumped from 12th place to third place; And Tel Aviv - which dropped in 2019 from fourth place to 11th place - and climbed in 2021 to sixth place.
The Ministry of Economy and Industry notes that "a downgrade does not mean that the authority's business service has deteriorated, and in many cases it is due to the fact that the service of other business authorities has improved more and they have risen in rank, while the downgraded authority has improved its services less."
In the group of local authorities with 150,000-50,000 residents, the five authorities ranked highest are Nof Hagalil, Herzliya, Raanana, Eilat and Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut. In the authorities with up to 50,000 residents, Gezer, Kiryat Bialik, Darom Hasharon, Mate Asher and Kiryat Ono led the ranking.
This year, the Small and Medium Business Agency also conducted a rating on the activities carried out by local authorities during the Corona crisis for the benefit of small and medium-sized businesses. In this index, Ramat Gan, Gezer and Nof Hagalil excelled - which are the first in the local authority groups according to their size.
Ran Koiti, director of the Small and Medium Business Agency at the Ministry of Economy and Industry, said the index was conducted with the aim of "encouraging the authorities to improve their services to businesses.
The Minister of Economy and Industry, Orna Barbibai, added that "businesses are a significant growth engine for the economy, and they are responsible for about 50% of the business product and about 60% of its employees. Local authorities have a direct impact on businesses, and the corona emphasized their importance."