Poland is preparing major changes to its investment support system that will significantly affect how companies obtain new projects and operate within the Polish Investment Zone (PSI). Experts are calling for swift decisions, warning that regulatory uncertainty is already discouraging potential investors.

At the end of 2026, the legal framework for Special Economic Zones (SEZs), established in 1994, will expire. While zone-managing companies will continue operating under the nationwide PSI system introduced in 2018, firms that received tax exemptions under the old SEZ rules will lose them and begin paying full corporate income tax from 2027. Zone operators will also lose part of their administrative fee income and must compensate through cost-cutting, digitalization, or new contractual arrangements.

The government signals that PSI incentives may be improved, possibly by removing rigid requirements such as mandatory job creation targets, which many consider outdated in an era of automation. Businesses also fear longer procedures if additional tax-level verification of projects is introduced.

A major concern is the absence of direct investment grants, as the previous program’s budget was exhausted in 2025 and a successor has not yet launched. This gap weakens Poland’s investment image, especially compared with other EU countries. Further delays stem from Poland’s failure to implement EU clean-industry state aid rules (CISAF), already in force elsewhere.

One positive development is OECD guidance easing the impact of the global minimum tax on PSI tax exemptions, although national implementation is still pending.

(pb.pl)