Government wants to introduce new fee on electronic equipment
19:27
About PLN 1 billion a year – this amount would go to the organization of collective management of copyrights after the introduction of a new tribute, the so-called reprographic fee covering smartphones, tablets and laptops. The President of the Consumer Federation emphasizes that this will directly translate into higher prices for electronic equipment. For a mid-range laptop, a minimum tax rate of 6 percent will increase its price by several hundred zlotys. Meanwhile, consumers are already taxed several times for using content online.
‘We have received with great concern the announcements of the introduction of a new tax on electronic devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops or TVs with the smart function, i.e. electronics that we all use in households on a daily basis. This is a de facto tax, although it is called a reprographic fee,” Kamil Pluskwa-Dąbrowski, president of the National Council of the Consumer Federation, emphasized.
The reprographic fee is intended to compensate authors for losses incurred because consumers instead of buying content, copy and store it for their own use. In Poland, this tribute is added to the prices of devices and media used for copying content, such as scanners or CDs, and goes to artists through a collective copyright management organization. However, most of the devices it covers are outdated and the fee does not include laptops and smartphones. At the end of April, Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński announced that it will be updated, because Poland is one of the last European countries that has not yet updated the reprographic fee. As announced, the new tribute will not be lower than 6 percent of electronic equipment values.
“This is a very large amount, given the volume of the smartphone, TV and laptop market. About PLN 1 billion a year would go to collective management organizations. This means that this money will be taken from our home budgets. In a situation in which we all find ourselves now, when one laptop at home turns out to be insufficient, these devices have become a good first necessity. This is no longer an exclusive good for entertainment, every household needs it - and often more than one piece. We believe that reaching into the pockets of Poles in such a situation is very disturbing,” Pluskwa-Dąbrowski added.
As he estimates, the introduction of a new tribute will increase the prices of electronic equipment. Margins on this market are already very low. Therefore, manufacturers or importers will not take on the new fee and pass it on to consumers.
(Newseria)
