Are Polish entrepreneurs bending under the weight of tax hikes and inflation? There is more and more information in the media about entrepreneurs who have given up. It turns out that these reports are confirmed by the data.
Are Polish companies giving up? “There is no panic, but companies are closing”
Problem Polish companies are noted, among others Adam Abramowicz, spokesperson for small and medium-sized enterprises. He heads a government body established in 2018. RMŚP is an individual body that protects the interests of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
It was Abramowicz who pushed the Senate to introduce an amendment to the shield law, according to which support on gas prices, intended for private customers, should also be extended to entrepreneurs in the SME sector. However, the amendment proposed by the senators was rejected in the course of further work in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland.
In fact, more than 200,000 companies have recently closed or suspended their activities
– Abramowicz said in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita”.
There is more evidence that “something is happening”. By the last week of October, over 150 thousand applications for liquidation of assets.
Beata Boruszkowska, president of the National Chamber of Accounting Offices and owner of the BEATA accounting office in Brodnica, quoted by the newspaper, stresses that the mood is deteriorating. -The panic is not there yet, but the companies are closing-she says. And she adds that many entrepreneurs are waiting for 2023. First, they will find out what rates they will pay for electricity, heating and rent. Secondly, it will be clear whether the agreement with Poland will ultimately prove financially beneficial.
Will electricity prices hit Polish companies? The shield is operational today, the high VAT may return soon
A light in the tunnel freezes electricity prices. It will be expensive, but predictably expensive. The maximum energy rate is 785 PLN for one megawatt hour. – If it hadn’t been done, many companies wouldn’t have survived next year. However, I expect the government to take a few more stones from the bag that entrepreneurs have to carry on their backs. And it will introduce, for example, the voluntary payment of personal social security contributions for entrepreneurs, following the example of Germany, says Adam Abramowicz in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.
Waldemar Buda, head of the Ministry of Development and Technology, assured that “the stabilization of the price of electricity at the level of 785 PLN per MWh will allow 99% of Polish companies to function and plan normally”.
It’s just that today’s quoted tariff for electricity for both individual consumers and entrepreneurs doesn’t take one factor into account. VATwhich was temporarily lowered as part of the shield. It is possible, however, that the government umbrella on consumers and businesses will be closed next year. The bills could therefore increase significantly, because the VAT on electricity will again be 23, not 5 percent, as it is today.
The government reassures consumers in a similar way. It ensures that 2000 kWh of “frozen price” electricity is enough for everyone. But how much will those who are indicated by the supreme law pay the border will the power consumption exceed? We don’t know yet, because the Energy Regulatory Office has not approved energy prices electricity. It is also not known what the gas tariffs will be.
The Ministry defends itself. New companies are born
MRiT argues that the situation of Polish entrepreneurs is not bad at all. “The analysis of the CEIDG registry shows that currently the number of active activities is 2.62 million and is 48.5 thousand more activities compared to January 1, 2022 and more than 13 thousand companies more than October 24, 2021. r. “. Only that this data may include new companies operating in various sectors. The fact that there are more companies operating in Poland today than there was a year ago does not mean that in the first quarter of the year the people most dependent on electricity or gas prices will not start falling one after another.
An example is the Gloss glass factory in Greater Poland. The reasons for its problems are the increase in the prices of energy resources. – We want to continue to produce and be competitive, even if in the current situation it is impossible. The costs we have to cover this year are around PLN 35 million. For comparison, last year it was PLN 18 million – the owner of the plant calculated before the summer holidays in a letter sent to customers. After vacation little has improved. – We are currently producing at a financial loss, where the main factor disturbing financial liquidity is the price of gas fuel – admitted Łukasz Busz, president of the company in an interview with Gazeta.pl. There may be more similar companies that are fighting, waiting and counting on a miracle. The next few months will decide how many of them give up.
More economic information on the home page Gazeta.pl
