A junior partner in Poland’s right-wing ruling coalition says it will not back a controversial media advertising tax, revealing cracks in the ruling bloc.
The Agreement party’s Friday night statement means that the ruling coalition would lack votes in parliament to pass proposed legislation that critics say “at home and abroad” would undermine freedom of the press and variety of Poland.
“In our opinion (the tax) can have a lot of negative effects on Polish companies, media and people,” and the agreement “sees no possibility of endorsing the law in its current form,” he said. the party in a statement.
The message reveals disagreements within the conservative coalition of the Law and Justice party and two small parties that has been in power since 2015 and is in its second term.
The government argues that the tax, linked to the size of the companies, would level the odds between large and small media companies and make communication giants like Google, Facebook, Apple or Amazon pay their fair share.
It says that some 800 million zlotys ($ 215 million) of this “solidarity” tax would bolster state finances, which are in a very strained situation from the coronavirus pandemic, and would go towards health care and culture.
Some 45 independent outlets suspended their coverage for 24 hours Wednesday in protest of the plan, saying it would cause many of them to collapse, while already paying corporate taxes on advertising and many other fees. Meanwhile, the government has been generously funding the state media.
The United States and the European Union on Wednesday highlighted their support for media diversity and freedom.
The proposed tax is still in an initial consultation stage, but the government would like it to take effect on July 1. The coalition has a narrow margin of 234 votes out of 460 in the lower house, or Sejm, but is missing a majority. in the Senate.
Part of the Agreement said it was ready to work on a tax for media technology corporations in the Polish and European Union markets.
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