Nonpartisan Local Government Representatives:
Local government reform is the most effective reform carried out so far in free Poland. Local government does not require a revolution; it requires permanent financial support from the state. That is why, as Nonpartisan Local Government Representatives, we propose giving local governments a share of VAT.
– Poland owes its civilizational leap to effectively functioning local governments. And we, local government officials, can carry out our mission only when we have reliable sources of income guaranteed by law. It cannot be the case that we do not know what our income will look like in one, two or three years. Cooperation between the government and local governments must be based on listening to one another and recognizing each other’s arguments – says Cezary Przybylski, Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
Nonpartisan Local Government Representatives organized a press conference in Wrocław, during which they presented a specific proposal concerning the financing of local governments at all levels through a 8.51% share of VAT. The conference in Wrocław was attended by Cezary Przybylski, Robert Raczyński – president of Lubin, Piotr Roman – president of Bolesławiec, Dariusz Chmura – mayor of Wołów, Milan Usak – mayor of Siechnice, and members of the Board of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship: Tymoteusz Myrda and Krzysztof Maj.
Local government officials: – Local governments have been robbed of money. In return, the government is trying to compensate for the losses by handing out cardboard emergency checks. As local government officials, we want to decide on our own budgets – to be able to responsibly plan spending and long-term investments.
– Time is running out, because many presidents, mayors and county heads say that their money will last until October. This means that in November and December there may not be enough money for teachers, social assistance or snow removal. This is not about investment-related shortages, but about the ongoing, everyday activities of local governments, meaning responsibility for the state – says Piotr Roman, president of Bolesławiec. – We calculated that 8.51% of VAT revenue would cover what has been taken away from local governments in recent years as a result of the Polish Deal and changes to PIT, which resulted in specific reductions in our income. Mr. Prime Minister, have more courage! We are not interested in checks handed out during various ceremonies. We are interested in systemic solutions.
The Nonpartisan representatives add:
The government knows that nearly PLN 20 billion has vanished from the budgets of local government units and is trying to patch up the situation. We fear that this is a one-off measure, which is why we propose a sensible and fair solution – a change to the system. Local governments should have a share in VAT, and that is what we will strive for. After consultations with experts, we propose a permanent statutory provision allocating 8.51% of VAT revenue to local governments at all levels. This is real support, primarily making it possible to ensure the continuity of local governments’ operations. Today, we local government officials cannot be certain that we will have enough for current expenses. Rising costs and inflation are also a problem affecting local governments at all levels. For this reason, we cannot suspend important investments intended to serve residents. Press conferences concerning local governments’ share in VAT are also planned in other Polish cities, so that the voice of local government officials can be heard as widely as possible!
– Our proposals today are one of the outcomes of discussions that we held among local government officials during our recent Convention. We need to know where we will receive money from not in a week or two, but over the next five years. Our long-term financial forecasts require this, yet today no one is able to answer that question. We do not question the need to provide individual municipalities with money for specific investments, but it cannot be the case that a municipality receives a Mercedes while, at the same time, the government takes away its fuel – concludes Robert Raczyński, president of Lubin.