Premier, business and labor leaders unite around flat rate tax

During yesterday's meeting with the Entrepreneurship Council, Prime Minister Leszek Miller did not hide his delight that entrepreneurs and trade unions had reached agreement about introducing a 19% flat rate tax for companies and keeping tax-free sums at their present level. "This is an idea which is close to being carried out, and I will do everything to turn it into reality from 2004," said Miller. However, the Finance Ministry was more cautious, commenting that it would have a negative impact on the budget and would hurt the poorest. The leader of the Labor Union Parliamentary Club Janusz Lisak thinks that supporting the current concept of a flat rate tax is not p ossible due to the proposed way it would be financed. However, Democratic Left Alliance Deputy Stanisław Stec claims that his party would support the idea, but first the government would have to propose how to cover lower tax revenues of zł. 2.2 billion that would arise from the introduction of a flat rate tax. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, B1) M.M.