Harbor blockade brings results: government now willing to cut excises

Polish fishers' nationwide blockade of major harbors yesterday in protest of high excise taxes on boat fuels, which they contend are making it impossible to stay profitable, seems to have produced the result they desired. Just an hour and a half after initiating their protest, Deputy Prime Minister Longin Komolowski announced that the government was willing to make concessions and suspend its March excise fuel tax hike effective Dec. 15, 2000. Ryszard Klimczak, representing the interests of fishers, emphasized that their protest was not over yet. According to him, the cancellation of fuel excises is only an ad-hoc solution. Representatives of the protesting fishers are to meet in the offing with the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Finance Minister to discuss the future of the fishing sector. (Rzeczpospolita, p.B1)