“The high cost of living and the high prices in supermarkets are largely the result of excessive regulation, which is added time and again - the Food Law from 2014, the bottle deposit law, and price labeling and coding regulations, which cost the economy around NIS 3 billion.” This is what Yafit Levy, CEO of Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing, told Maariv.
Speaking at the conference of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants held in Eilat, Levy revealed that the company will soon enter the electricity sales market and is also examining opportunities in the hotel industry. According to her, “Hashikma Marketing’s profit margin as a percentage has remained more or less the same over the past five years. You can see this across all retail chains.”
According to Levy, “The high cost of living is not just an issue related to Rami Levy, and it does not begin and end with cottage cheese. You need to look at the bigger picture. You can look at housing prices and ask why land sales are managed in a way that drives prices upward. Electricity prices have risen by 26% over the past five years, water prices by 16%, municipal taxes by 18% - and someone is paying the price.”
Chen Schreibler, President of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants, said: “There is no chance that the cost of living and prices will come down through 'state basket’ promotions or any other marketing gimmick. This requires a comprehensive solution, from the import and production stages all the way to store shelves. Political parties must present the public with a structured and professional plan before the elections.”