The Polish government is looking into ways of increasing the tax burden for state-owned companies that note stronger profits owing to rising prices of commodities, the government spokesperson has said.
Piotr Mueller was commenting on July 18 on hints made by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki several days ago.
Morawiecki said that in the case of state-owned companies that had seen their profits rise, “we’ll develop a mechanism for sharing their profits with citizens either through the regulator or the companies themselves, or we’ll introduce a tax on extraordinary profits that gas and energy companies have enjoyed, similarly to what has happened in France, the UK or Spain.”
Mueller said that the government was analysing “in what way and finally whether to introduce such measures,” adding that such companies had “a huge portfolio of investments.”
“And over a several-year horizon, they ensure our energy security and failure to pursue them (investments) would be dangerous in three, four or five years’ time,” Mueller said.
Owing to this, the solution “is not as simple and general as it seems.”
Mueller said a decision on the matter could be expected until the end of August. (The First News/Business World Magazine)