The mountain communes that have suffered as a result of the pandemic will receive an additional PLN 1 billion in financial aid from the government. The funds will go to approx. 200 local governments and may be used, among others, for tourism infrastructure. The president of the Tatra Chamber of Commerce, Agata Wojtowicz, indicates that they will not have any impact on the difficult situation of entrepreneurs who make a living from tourism, who have lost practically the entire winter season this year. They more and more often announce that they will open their businesses despite government restrictions and lockdown. 

“This defiant is just a substitute for what is about to start happening all over Poland,” Agata Wojtowicz said.

“We are very happy that any aid has been allocated to municipalities from mountainous regions. Especially since their cash register will be empty this year. We, as entrepreneurs, will not supply them with our taxes, because if we do not work and receive no income, we will not pay anything,” she added.

Last week, the Council of Ministers adopted a resolution granting additional aid to municipalities from mountain regions (Eastern, Central, and Western Sudetes, Middle and Western Beskids, Orawa-Podhale Lowering, Chain Tatrzański, and Beskidy Lesiste) affected by the pandemic. Most of them have found themselves in a very difficult financial situation as a result of government restrictions and a lockdown, due to which hotels and ski slopes will be closed at least until the end of January.

Additional aid will cover over 200 mountain communes, which will be able to take advantage of two support instruments under the Government Fund for Local Investments. The first is a 40 percent subsidy of the average annual value of the commune's expenditure on investments in 2016–2020 (but not more than PLN 8 million per one commune). The second instrument is compensation for exempting entrepreneurs from real estate tax in the first quarter of this year. Government funding is to cover 80 percent. income lost by municipalities.

(Newseria)