Artists, authors among those to escape from VAT tax

 "Shortly before I left the Finance Ministry, experts came up with a definition which would hurt the so-called self-employed to the least extent", said Mirosław Barszcz, former deputy Finance Minister. The new definition of those conducting business activity is roughly the same as the previous one, but it excludes those who do not conduct it on their own by bearing the cost and risk of the business activity. Among these excluded from VAT are small companies with an annual turnover of less than EUR 10,000, doctors and teachers. (Rzeczpospolita, pp.A1, B1) M.M.