A madman sprayed money with poison and donated it to an orphanage. The mayor, the county head, four councillors, several MPs and one minister died. Nothing happened to the children!
An internet joke illustrating the column
The column’s author criticizes local government authorities, that is, councillors, for greed, short-sightedness and wastefulness, which leads to unjustified tax increases intended to replenish the budget.
– Wastefulness is widespread, writes Leszek Socha. – It is clear that the development of local entrepreneurship guarantees revenue for the municipal coffers. Most often, we see taxes being raised to increase the budget. All fees are increased, especially for businesses. No one thinks about people’s future, because only the here and now matters. The elected official, that is, the commune head, is so afraid of losing power that he bleeds entrepreneurs dry because he can. Since entrepreneurs are ambitious and creative, they should somehow manage, and in addition there are fewer of them and they have little influence on election results. It is better not to irritate ordinary voters, Socha adds.
In his text, he emphasizes that this policy is particularly destructive for local entrepreneurs, who are burdened with high rates and a lack of support, unlike the rest of Europe.
– No tax breaks, no social safeguards, no logistical support, but instead an avalanche of inspections from the very first day and maximum fees, Socha writes. – With the push for power, no one even thinks of using legal advisers to develop systems protecting young, beginner entrepreneurs from bankruptcy. Such measures should be included among the duties of the commune’s promotion department, instead of photographing the activities of valiant commune heads, mayors or city presidents. However, there is no system, and if one exists, it is like a UFO. Sustainable development is key, but instead we have a predatory model in which entrepreneurs are milked. A minor market disturbance means bankruptcy, mainly because of high fees. As can be seen, councillors prefer vacant premises and closed businesses to lower fees for entrepreneurs. In this way, they waste their own time, our time and our opportunities for development, he explains.
In the author’s view, the politicization of local governments and their subordination to the party system further aggravate the problem.
– There are many reasons, and one of them is the destruction of local governments and their subordination to the party system. These are no longer local governments, because the centres of power are in the hands of party kingpins, which inevitably hampers social initiatives, breaks the spirit of local self-government and eliminates public oversight of how local governments operate. Commercial-law companies operating on municipal property completed the damage. Is this foolishness, terror or socialism? asks Leszek Socha.