Economy
POMERANIAN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE
ISSUES FIRST DECISION IN POLAND UNDER NEW LAW ON SUPPORTING INVESTMENT
The Pomeranian Special Economic Zone (PSEZ) has issued the first investment support decision in Poland under a new law on supporting investment and conditions for receiving state aid. The recipient of the decision is the Plastica company. Based in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, it is a member of Toruńskie Zakłady Materiałów Opatrunkowych (TZMO) Group, which produces hygiene and medical products.
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he law which changed the rules for the operation of special economic zones and removed their boundaries came into force on June 30, 2018. Its main rule is that income tax exemptions available for a period of 10 to 15 years do not depend on the place where the investment is made. The new investment support system brought about crucial solutions, like for example the expansion of special economic zones from 0.08% of Poland’ territory to almost the whole country. It also introduced different criteria for grating aid, depending on the quality of investment, the economic situation of the region, and its strategic needs, in keeping with the principle of sustainable development. A recently issued decision permitting Plastica to operate in the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone and thus partially exempting the investor from income tax for 15 years is the first decision issued under the new law. The Plastica company, based in Frydrychowo in Golub-Dobrzyń county, promised to invest PLN82 million and employ ten new workers. The company is going to raise the production capacity of its plant in Frydrychowo, which makes hygiene and medical products. “I am very glad that two weeks after secondary legislation for the law on supporting investment became effective we already have the first beneficiary of these changes and further decisions in other zones are being finalised,” said Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology Jadwiga Emilewicz. “This shows
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just how much the new system for supporting investment was needed and awaited by businesses. Importantly, we have designed the new rules in such a way that Polish businesses can benefit from them to a greater extent. And the results are already there. The first beneficiary of support under the new rules is Plastica, a Polish company being part of Toruńskie Zakłady Materiałów Opatrunkowych Group, which has successfully operated for more than 65 years. What adds to my satisfaction is that the investment is innovative in character and involves one of the strategic sectors indicated in the Strategy for Responsible Development.” Plastica scored seven out of 10 points for the declared fulfilment of quality criteria, including for investing in a sector aligned with the country’s development policy, investment location, achieving a required level of exports, creating specialised jobs, a low negative impact on the environment, supporting workers in acquiring education and occupational qualifications, and cooperation with vocational schools. Plastica is one of the 56 companies of TZMO Group, which provides employment to 7,600 people. TZMO is a Polish producer and supplier of medical, hygiene and cosmetics products to over 80 markets in Europe, Africa, South and North America, the Far East and Australia. TZMO products are based on the most modern technologies available in the world. Plastica has operated within the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone since 2008. It has five
manufacturing plants in Frydrychowo where 1,400 people are employed. “We are proud that our Zone is the first in the country to grant support under the new zone regulations,” said Vice-President of the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone Paweł Lulewicz. “It gives us even more satisfaction that the aid goes to a Polish company which has bet on technological development and promised high quality jobs.” More investors are contacting the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone. This is a result of the campaign “Zone in Every Municipality” conducted by PSEZ. Over the several months before the new law became effective, PSEZ staff had reached almost all of the 226 municipalities in their area of operation, which is Pomorskie and Kujawsko-Pomorskie provinces, with information about the regulatory changes. They presented and explained the most important assumptions of the law at meetings with local governments and entrepreneurs. “We have shown to entrepreneurs who have not used or known the zone instrument before that the ‘new zone’ means first of all support for micro, small and medium-sized Polish firms. The new rules will make it possible to benefit from income tax exemptions for a larger group of businesses, which until recently were practically excluded from the ability to receive this kind of support. The new regulations are a chance for them to develop,” Paweł Lulewicz added. •