Taxing authorities focus on dialogue with customers

As every year, a meeting hosted by the editorial team of Rzeczpospolita with business leaders and the Minister of Finance took place during the Economic Forum. – I am very happy that we could meet. I appreciate these meetings very much. For me, a dialogue with the sector has always been very important. My predecessor, Minister Tadeusz Kościński, proclaimed the pro-client, client-centric approach. This was also my motto when I held my previous posts, said Finance Minister Magdalena Rzeczkowska at the inauguration of the meeting, which was also attended by Deputy Minister Artur Soboń and the head of the National Revenue Administration, and Deputy Finance Minister Bartosz Zbaraszczuk.

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Fiskus stawia na dialog z klientami

Śniadanie z „Rzeczpospolitą” z udziałem minister finansów Magdaleny Rzeczkowskiej i liderów czołowych polskich firm zdominowały kwestie pewności prawa i systemu podatkowego.

– We all have adopted the motto that challenges and problems should be solved in the spirit of dialogue. This was the case when it came to changes in PIT, and also in the work on changes in CIT. I hope you perceive this as a constructive attitude of the Finance Minister. When it comes to taxation, we must seek a compromise, emphasised Minister Rzeczkowska. – I perfectly understand your need for the law to be stabilised, to be as clear as possible. This is a huge challenge. We are in constant dialogue, working to improve the system. It is important that the market has time to prepare for the changes because in today’s world every change is a change in the digital system, which requires expenditures, added Rzeczkowska.

Dialogue on many levels

During the conversation, Roman Jamiołkowski of BAT Polska asked representatives of the Finance Ministry about the issue of revising the directive on excise duty. – We would like, as an industry, to encourage you to be proactive in this regard. There is a call for Poland to foster this discussion, stressed Jamiołkowski, who also asked about the issue of tobacco sachets and their regulation.

In response, Deputy Minister Artur Soboń underlined that Poland is not passive on the excise duty issue. Soboń pointed to a recent letter sent to the Czech presidency on the work on the directive. – It was never the case that we were just passive observers. Just because we sometimes talk about analysis doesn’t mean we’re just watching, added Rzeczkowska.

Adam Siekierski of Philip Morris joined the proposal for tobacco sachets.

During the discussion, Piotr Kuberka, CEO of Shell Polska, asked about the issue of retail sales tax. – We would like to make sure that this issue does not get off the agenda in the heat of other matters. As for legal certainty, digitalisation leads large companies to have extensive financial systems, so even a minor change requires months of modifications. The issue of legal certainty and adequate vacatio legis is particularly important to us, said Kuberka.

In response, Minister Rzeczkowska said that this factor is taken into account at many levels. – I encourage you to use dedicated, technical email boxes to engage in dialogue in the event of major changes. But I also encourage you to take part in technical meetings, such as for software vendors. This is what we do with large projects of the Ministry of Finance, stressed Rzeczkowska.

Issues of tax changes this year and the sequence of events this year also came up in the discussion. – I recommend the calculator prepared by the Ministry of Finance. This is one of the best information tools on tax changes that we have created, stated Soboń. The topic of the importance of adequate information and good communication in the public sphere when it comes to tax issues came up repeatedly during the discussion.

Representatives of the Ministry of Finance also addressed the issue of retail sales tax. – As for the latter, as long as we extend the shield, it will include retail sales tax on gas stations. If there is a moment when we stop extending the shield, we will look into the matter then, highlighted Soboń. During the discussion, Minister Rzeczkowska also announced new functionalities and the development of digital services related to filing returns by taxpayers online using the Your e-PIT service. – Next year, we plan to add Blik as a new form of payment at the e-Tax Office, Minister Rzeczkowska announced at the breakfast.

There was also an announcement of a new information campaign – at the end of the fiscal year – regarding the PIT-2, so that taxpayers will have more information and options related to this statement.