Summary: On this episode of The Cost of Doing Business:The Ministry of Finance considers raising the retirement age to 70 (for men) and 64 (for women). But should the retirement age be canceled altogether? Attorney Shoshana Gavish thinks so;In addition, the Finance Ministry is reportedly considering awarding NIS 100,000-120,000 subsidies to first-time home buyers. Is this for real? Dr. Efrat Tolkowsky, CEO of the Gazit Globe Real Estate Institute and a lecturer at IDC Herzliya, tells us not to hold our breath;Yet ANOTHER plan from the Ministry of Finance: This time to partially privatize 19 government-owned companies including the Post Office and Israel Railways. Will privatization work for Israel this time? Professor Zvi Eckstein, Dean of the School of Economics at IDC Herzliya and former deputy governor at the Bank of Israel, explains what's different this time round;Cyber security firm Varonis joins the club of “Israeli companies with a $1 billion valuation”. But why is this success not totally Israeli? Orr Hirschauge, Editor of TheMarker’s Technation, explains;Israel has been removed from the US blacklist of countries failing to protect intellectual property rights. What are the economic implications of this decision? Dr. Yoav Oestreicher, Head of Intellectual Property at Meitar International Law Office, breaks this down. Playlist: The Stooges - Down On The Street Frank Zappa- Jewish Princess Public Enemy - Fight the Power Psychic TV - New York Story Twilight Singers -That's Just How That Bird Sings
