Car prices, taxes, and road safety

A few hours ago we returned to Israel from a trip to Romania. The first thing that caught my eye in Romania was the number of luxury cars. On the roads of Romania, I saw many more Mercedes, Audis, and BMWs than on the roads of our country. This is especially surprising in light of the fact that Israel is a much richer country than Romania, with a per capita GNP 1.7 times greater than that of Romania. Romania isn’t considered a developed country; it’s ranked 52nd in the human development index, while Israel is ranked 22nd. In other words, according to all the indices, Romania is lagging behind Israel. And yet many more Romanians can afford luxury cars compared to Israelis. When I checked the prices of the new cars in Romania, the reason was became clear: Vehicles in Romania are much cheaper than they are in Israel. And I’m not talking only about vehicles produced by the local manufacturer Dacia, which are sold for hilarious prices starting at NIS 30,000. Imported vehicles, such as the Mazda 3, which sell in Israel for NIS 136,000, are sold in Romania for NIS 82,000. Luxury vehicles, such as the BMW 3 Series, which sell in Israel at prices of NIS 290,000 and higher, are sold in Romania for NIS 139,000. In other words, for the price of Mazda 3 in Israel, you can buy a BMW 3 Series in Romania. The culprit, of course, is the draconian taxation the state imposes on vehicles in Israel. And it’s not just a matter of self-indulgence or comfort. As a result of these high taxes, vehicles in Israel are older and less advanced. As a result, the vehicles are also less safe, and there are more car accidents, and more people injured and killed. Taxes on vehicles must be lowered drastically, thereby enabling an increase in the standard of living. But most importantly, tax cuts will reduce the number of road accidents and save lives. #למה_זהות #Why_Zehut