Government finally waking up?

The ruling coalition improved its “economic friendliness” in Q4 2008, according to a business group

Nearly half of the 123 bills passed by the Sejm in Q4 2008 had an impact on the Polish economy, and a majority of these had a positive effect, according to a quarterly legislative barometer published by the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG).

The law on public-private partnerships, and amendments to the bill on the freedom of economic activity and to the law on tax representation were the legislative steps taken in autumn that KIG considered major positives.

KIG reported that the ruling PO and PSL parties were the most economy friendly parties last quarter, leading in all indices of the barometer. For example, PO and PSL earned 59.02 and 53.88 points respectively in the index of economy-friendly voting, as compared with the opposition parties of PiS – 25.54 and the grouping of leftist parties, Lewica – 27.78.

Mieczysław Bąk, deputy secretary general of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, stressed that there was a considerable improvement in the index as compared with the beginning of the year. In Q1 2008, PO and PSL earned a mere 4.53 and 4.51 points respectively, while PiS got 6.41 points. Eight bills adopted in the autumn were considered negative by KIG. These included the bill on capital-based pensions, for its lack of benefit valorization provisions and possibilities for inheritance. KIG also criticized the bill on excise tax, which increased the excise for liquid petroleum gas, cigarettes, and alcohol.

KIG’s Barometer of the Sejm’s Legislative Friendliness for the Economy and Entrepreneurs (Barometr przyjazności legislacyjnej Sejmu dla gospodarki i przedsiębiorczości) measures how "friendly" legislation is for the economy and entrepreneurs.

"[We make this measurement] so that the parties do not feel exempted from the promises they have made", said to Marek Kłoczko, secretary general of KIG.

Konrad Kiedrzyński