The Polish government has revealed plans for a new 0.4% tax on corporate revenue to help plug a gap in healthcare funding. Discussing the proposed tax at the Karpacz economic forum, Finance Minister Tadeusz Kościński said the tax would target the largest corporations, with start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises being spared.
The tax aims to help plug a multi-billion złoty hole left in the healthcare budget by plans to peg health fund contributions at 4.9% for those paying the 19% uniform tax rate. For those in the regular tax brackets, the rate is 9%.
It’s part of the „Polish New Deal” – the government’s flagship economic plan – which is set to shake up the Polish economy in the wake of the pandemic.
In related news, the prime minister yesterday announced a proposal to massively slash red tape for those hoping to build single family homes. Under the proposal, which is also part of the Polish New Deal, homes up to 70²m could be build without a permit.
Travellers to the UK are getting ready for new rules on ID cards and passports when crossing the border in the wake of Brexit.
From October 1st, European national ID cards will no longer be accepted as a travel document, with arrivals from the EU needing a valid passport to cross the border.
Those with settled status in the UK, as well as some types of healthcare and frontier workers, won’t be affected.
The changes follow the UK’s final break from the EU at the end of last year.
The news also comes as the deadline for UK nationals living in Poland to apply for new residence permits draws closer. Brits living in Poland only have until December 31st to apply for the post-Brexit residency card; applications can be submitted to the Office for Foreigners.
Poland faced England yesterday in a nail-biting football World Cup Qualifier that ended in an against-the-odds draw.
The game got off to a good start for the Poles, who were on the offensive in the first minutes but couldn’t make it past England’s defence. But it wasn’t easy for the English either and the Polish defences held firm until well into the second half.
It wasn’t until the 72nd minute that England captain Harry Kane dealt a blow.
For a while, it looked like England would scrape a 1-0 victory, but that all came crashing down with an injury-time goal by Damian Szymański – his first for the Polish national team.
The draw denies the English a guaranteed place in next year’s World Cup, though they remain top of group I. Poland are currently third in the group and will need to overtake Albania to secure their place in Qatar.
Nominees have been revealed for this year’s Pomeranian Literary Awards.
Out of more than 400 suggestions, a jury has selected just eight works in two categories – Literary Book of the Year and Pomeranian Book of the Year.
This year’s candidates range from hard-hitting novels like Dariusz Filar’s 'Szklanki Żydowskiej Krwi”, telling personal stories of Jewish life in early 20th century Poland, to more philosophical works like Tadeusz Dąbrowski’s 'Scrabble’, all the way to non-fiction books looking at the history of sea bathing in Tricity.
The nominated authors are set to meet for a literary evening at the Wybrzeże Theatre on October 13th, with the winners announced at an invitation-only gala on October 27th.
The nominees:
Literary Book of the Year:
– Tadeusz Dąbrowski, 'Scrabble’ (poetry)
– Dariusz Filar, 'Szklanki żydowskiej krwi’ (novel)
– Antoni Pawlak, 'Ale bez rozgrzeszenia’ (poetry)
– Barbara Szczepuła, 'W domu wroga’ (reportage)
Pomeranian Book of the Year:
Janusz Dargacz, 'Od Sopotu po Stogi. Początki kąpielisk morskich w okolicach Gdańska (1800-1870)’
Dorota Karaś and Marek Sterlingow, 'Walentynowicz: Anna szuka raju’
Michał Ślubowski, 'Czarownice mieszczki pokutnice: gdańskie szkice herstoryczne’
’Wrzeszcz! Mikołaj Trzaska – autobiografia’ – Tomasz Gregorczyk, Janusz Jabłoński
Weather
Bright and very warm is the outlook for today with highs of 26°C, 78°F. No rain expected today but take care in that sunshine as UV factor is moderate today. A cool, clear night on the way with tomorrow looking even hotter before things start to cool down again over the weekend.
Thomas Holdstock/ua
