The Minister of the Interior, Ayelet Shaked signed orders that will ease the licensing requirements for about 40 types of businesses

The Minister of the Interior, Ayelet Shaked, signed orders this weekend that will ease the licensing requirements for about 40 types of businesses in the economy. As part of the move, thousands of importers and manufacturers of food, cosmetics and medical preparations will now be required to issue only an importer or manufacturer's license - without the need for a business license from the local authority. Exemption from business license will also be granted to 1,100 small food producers.
The licenses will also be extended to 13,700 businesses. For example, the validity of the license issued for malls, pubs, nursing homes, swimming pools and nightclubs - will be extended from five to ten years. In addition, the need for police permits for opening thousands of businesses in the fields of recreation and leisure will be eliminated.
In total, the orders will make the regulation easier for about 36,000 business owners (25% of all registered businesses). These will save hundreds of millions of shekels a year, along with saving unnecessary bureaucratic time.
The reform, led by Minister Shaked and Deputy Minister Avir Kara (right), was supposed to be launched ten days ago, but was delayed due to reservations submitted by some government ministers. These have lamented the alleged expropriation of their powers, or expressed concern about the breach of the required balance between regulation and safety - what's more, the reform was not accompanied by a mechanism that would increase enforcement on business.
Among other things, following the reservation of Minister of Environmental Protection Tamar Zandberg, laundries, laboratories and medical equipment warehouses were excluded from the reform. The Ministry of Homeland Security's reservations led to their exclusion from the reform of all vehicle businesses (sale, rental, brokerage, towing and transportation) - as well as fuel depots and hazardous materials.
The Ministry of Agriculture opposed the exemption from licensing hairdressers for animals, while the Ministry of Health demanded the exclusion of dental laboratories. Camps and malls that operate without management companies were also excluded, and a total of about 8,000 businesses will be deducted from the original application of the relief.
This is the second pulse of the reform, after at the beginning of the year 7,300 other small businesses (mainly hairdressers, beauty salons, flower shops and more) were granted concessions. Both moves were supported by the local government center.
"The historic order eliminates many unnecessary business licenses in one fell swoop, and many small and medium-sized businesses will be able to breathe a sigh of relief today and stop groaning under the wheels of local authority bureaucracy," Shaked said.
"Business owners in Israel have become accustomed to an inflated and expensive licensing process that is unparalleled in the world, but from now on the process will be easier, cheaper and more sensible," Kara added.