Aug.30, 2012 | 6:09 AM–Israel has the sixth-highest gasoline taxes in the Western world, as measured by the purchasing power of its consumers, the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies revealed in a report yesterday.

The study, led by Prof. Dan Ben-David, the center’s director, said most of the increases in gas prices are not due to global petroleum prices. Rather, they are due to taxes on the refining and distribution of the price-controlled fuel.

He also said that there is no positive advantage to such high taxes in Israel. “In the absence of significant transportation options in Israel, taxes on gasoline cannot serve as a tool for significantly reducing the use of automobiles,” Ben-David said. “Raising them imply causes hardship to the population.”

The report comes before prices at the pump are set to rise at midnight Friday to NIS 8.26 per liter, a record and a jump of 56 agorot…Read More>>

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