Deregulation. Rafał Brzoska: Europe is overregulated, it is in the worst condition in 30 years

Rafał Brzoska on deregulation Radio Zet

– I fundamentally have a lack of trust in politicians. I’ll say „I’ll verify” within 100 days. If half of these 300 initiatives are expedited, it will be a significant achievement – stated Rafał Brzoska, president of InPost, during his appearance on Radio ZET on Friday. The entrepreneur stressed that he has no intention of entering politics. – I am a businessman at heart, a philanthropist, and I believe I am a good father and husband – remarked Brzoska.

On Monday, the deregulation team, led by Rafał Brzoska, unveiled the initial proposals for legal modifications aimed at enhancing the operations of Polish businesses. These suggestions include, among other things, increasing the quantity of general interpretations issued by the Minister of Finance, modifying ESG reporting obligations, curbing abuses by Tax Offices, such as reducing the frequency of tax disputes, not imposing penalties for unintentional errors, limiting VAT fines, as well as less aggressive enforcement strategies and leveraging artificial intelligence.

Donald Tusk with Rafał Brzoska Chancellery of the Prime Minister

– This is merely the cover page. The goal of the entire team is to propose at least 300 deregulation initiatives within the next 120 days, addressing the absurdities present in Polish law and passing the responsibility to the politicians – this is how Rafał Brzoska reflects on the start of the deregulation initiative during his discussion on Radio ZET.

Brzoska on discussions with politicians

– Engaging with politicians is challenging. – I inherently lack trust in politicians. I’ll say „I’ll verify” within 100 days. If half of these 300 proposals are fast-tracked, it will be a major success – acknowledges the entrepreneur. He believes that if the government takes this matter earnestly, it should accept half of the suggestions from Brzoska and his team.

– For many months (…) I have been demonstrating that we are facing a very tough situation both in Poland and across Europe. And it seems to me that for the last 1.5 years, Polish business has not had the opportunity to express its development vision, as there has been no dialogue with business. This perception of urgent criticism has seemingly influenced the government’s decision to „pass the ball to your court” – noted Brzoska.

Rafał Brzoska reiterates that he does not plan to enter the political arena and adds: – I am a businessman at heart, a philanthropist, and I consider myself a good father and husband.

Brzoska: Europe is economically and regulatory weak

The InPost leader was requested by Prime Minister Donald Tusk to devise proposals for economic deregulation. This request was made on February 10 during a press briefing where the Prime Minister announced the government’s investment agenda. – Europe is economically and regulatory weak; it is excessively regulated and currently in its worst state in 30 years. It hasn’t reached a crisis point yet, but it’s heading toward one – assessed Brzoska. He further stated that Europe needs to implement changes to avoid falling behind in the ongoing competition with the US and China. – I hope Europe learns from its past mistakes. No more Green Deal, no more excessive regulation in Europe – he asserted.

Brzoska: our tax legislation spans several thousand pages

Brzoska also addressed the practice of applying EU regulations. He highlighted that most EU nations adopt EU regulations „as is.” – In contrast, Poland has added approximately 80 percent during the creation of the regulations when implementing EU directives, and then another 50 percent during public consultations. Consequently, while the Netherlands implements regulations 1 to 1, Poland does so at a ratio of 1 to 2.3 – explained the InPost head. – How can we remain competitive when our tax laws are 5.7 thousand pages long, with 1.8 thousand added in just the last five years? – he said. He clarified that several hundred individuals are already working with the deregulation team. He reported that „this week alone” 4.5 thousand deregulation proposals have been presented. – Deregulation is not an end in itself but a means to enhance the quality of life for all citizens. We will propose not just legal changes, but also solutions that improve the efficiency of officials’ work – indicated Brzoska.

Brzoska: I will not navigate the ministries

– I will not traverse ministries and persuade them of my viewpoints. We showcase projects on our website for the public to assess. The government must achieve a consensus regarding the implementation of any given project – he stated.

When questioned about his actions if coalition partners rejected his proposals, Rafał Brzoska replied: „that is not my concern”.

– We were invited as a societal entity to take the initiative from the grassroots level and propose effective solutions and projects

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