Kolodko prepares onslaught on status quo with package of new proposals

The Ministry of Finance has a package of acts aimed at realizing Finance Minister Kolodko's plans to decrease unemployment and increase production. Kolodko has prepared 3 legal proposals amending, for example, personal income tax and will propose to the government cancellation of some public debts including tax, customs, and some contributions to the Labor Fund and the Fund for Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRON). The Ministry of Finance also wants to introduce a "restructuring" fee at a standard rate of 15%, but if the companies concerned are considered important to the economy, the fee may be lowered to 1.5%. The package also includes the "tax prize" for those companies who pay their taxes and make all payments regularly and on time - they will be able to deduct all unpaid receivables from their debtors as cost for up to one year. The Ministry of Finance estimates that the cost of all proposals will be almost nil, as the potential losses will be balanced by the restructuring process. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A1, B1) A.L.