Importing an ME1 Shepard will give bonus Morality Points at the start of Mass Effect 2. A high level Shepard will receive bonus Resources at the start of Mass Effect 2, allowing you to spend them on Research upgrades, and minimizes the time you spend having to Survey and Probe planets. It's actually impossible to buy everything in the game without doing this! Similarly, importing a high level Shepard will give you bonus Credits, allowing you to spend them at stores very early in the game to get equipment you want. If your Shepard is a particularly high level, you'll be able to start at Level 3 or Level 5 when starting Mass Effect 2, giving you a significant leg up as you'll be able to spend Talent Points very early on. While Mass Effect 2 does let you use the Genesis comic to make important choices, it's nowhere near as granular as playing Mass Effect 1 outright. The most obvious reason, by importing your old save you get to continue your specific Shepard, their reputation, their choices, their Romance and more. There are many very important reasons you'll want to import your Mass Effect 1 save to Mass Effect 2 over starting 2 fresh or using the Galaxy add-on:
