The policy is not and will never be my goal - stressed in a discussion with PAP the typical of entrepreneurs for deregulation and the head of InPost Rafał Brzoska. He added that at the end of May, his function in the Deregulation squad ends, and that he and Elon Musk are connected by the fact that they played "Civilization" in their youth.
PAP: In February you accepted Prime Minister Donald Tusk's proposal and took the lead in the deregulation team. Was that planned earlier?
Rafał Przezoska: Do you callback my face erstwhile I heard that offer? She said everything. I was amazingly surprised, especially since in fresh months I have criticised the Polish government rather powerfully for not having an effective dialog with entrepreneurs; that in our country there is no policy aimed at development, that we are only recipients of regulations imposed by Brussels that limit our competitiveness, specified as the Green Deal. Worse still, not only the ruling, but all of us, due to the fact that as citizens, we let Poland to be a peripheral country for large abroad corporations, a place that is frequently perceived only by taxation optimization and transfer of profits to countries where they are based, alternatively of investment and partnership.
Do you think the initiative "We are looking, that is, a squad of experts catching weaknesses in Polish law, can change that? How can you influence, for example, EU climate policy or the bureaucracy of Brussels?
I late interviewed Czech television, in which I spoke about Polish deregulation. The Czechs came to us due to the fact that they felt that there was possible in our initiative that they could implement at home. Imagine that akin teams are now being formed in all country of the European Union that wants to improve its competitiveness. It may turn out that "We are checking" will be specified a centrifugal force that will scope all the way to Brussels.
You have had many years of business and a review of current economical law. What do you think is the biggest "legal monster" knocking out entrepreneurs and average taxpayers?
No presumption of the taxpayer's innocence in the clash with the state's machine. delight note that in criminal law, any criminal, even if he kills or rapes, the prosecutor must prove that specified an illegal act has been committed, and in any cases that he did so intentionally. And the taxpayer? He has to prove that he's innocent, that the mistake he made. He wasn't on purpose. It's on your head.
Were you in that situation?
Yeah. I sent my mom money all period so she could last despite a very low pension, and after a fewer years, I found out that I should have paid the tax. Of course, I paid a tribute with interest, but I had to make a self-criticism - "active regret", to prove that the deficiency of payment of the taxation was due to my ignorance alternatively than the desire to deceive the Treasury. I was convinced that a donation in the alleged first line of kinship was not taxed – my mistake.
Moreover, entrepreneurs and average citizens are greatly hurt by the fact that state authorities neglect to fulfil their obligations. They brand us for all mistake or delay, but they frequently keep their obligations. Currently, the rules state in more than 20 000 cases that the office has a certain time to give a decision to the citizen, but in more than 80 % of cases these deadlines are not met. We want a simple solution – that if the decision is not made within a strict deadline, it should be made automatically in favour of the applicant - that is, that our proposal will be considered positively. Another blockade that strikes and hits companies and people is the deficiency of access to courts. That is why we have proposed government to make justice more effective without any drastic reform.
Are you considering engaging in politics?
Politics is not and will never be my goal. As I announced in February, my function in the deregulation squad ends at the end of May. Then I return 100% to my duties at InPost, due to the fact that late I spend a large part of the day on the task "Checking". On Saturday and Sunday nights I frequently review deregulation proposals - checking, for example, if there are no lobbyists. And I know that at this time I could have a strategy of entering the next marketplace or launching a fresh service or spending time with my loved ones.
During these 100 days, no negative effects will occur, but in the long word no company is able to make without a leader. Don't get me wrong. The awareness that something is done in the spirit of the public mission, for your country and for the good of Poles, gives you large energy and a sense of large satisfaction. It besides recognises why many Poles are choosing public service as their way of life - police officers, teachers, nurses, besides officials. It seems to me that the desire and request to do something useful to everyone, and to his homeland is in each of us and can be a actual vocation.
Can you manage the state like a company?
Of course I do. due to the fact that how are you different from the company? In the company you gotta take care of the safety of workers, you gotta supply them with working clothes, meals, wellness care, pay contributions. The operating department in the company is nothing but an administration that provides public and commercial services so that the state can function.
However, many economists believe that the state should not be guided by profit, that it is besides important, for example, to redistribute goods, make jobs, and benefit citizens.
That's right, but the state must besides grow, due to the fact that growth is generating GDP, and a country that doesn't fall down – just like a company that doesn't make profits falls. Therefore, the function of the state is to make specified legal conditions for entrepreneurs so that they can make and pay taxes which, after all, form the basis of the budget, the functioning of the state and people. It is the taxes generated by the private sector that supply funds for the social programmes needed, but besides for arms spending – our security. Meanwhile, in Poland it is easier to run abroad businesses to corporations, which, for example, usage the transfer pricing mechanics in the flows between their companies, which results in a simplification of the taxation base in Poland. Deregulation is besides intended to destruct this phenomenon.
InPost continues its abroad expansion. Are you curious in entering the US market?
Nope. And in advance of your question, it's not related to Donald Trump's fresh decisions. I believe that Europe is simply a large adequate marketplace to have something to do for the next 5 years. However, I will admit that it hurts erstwhile I see Europeans wasting their potential. How the ethos of work disappears, the applause gained by various kinds of activists, who on social networks communicate to the young generation the thought that without work something can be achieved. Neither Poland nor the EU will make if we disgust the ethos of work. Yes, I would besides like a four-day week of work, longer holidays, but this is 1 of the reasons for the failure of competitiveness of European companies. If we want to be a Europe that wins, we gotta put our money on hard work, innovation, winning more summits.
Some media see an analogy between the function you execute in deregulation of Polish law and the function of Elon Musk, who deals with the order in the Donald Trump administration. Is the word "Polish Elon Musk" a compliment to you or not?
I have large respect for Elon Musk's business accomplishments. I think he's a visionary who could realize visions even beyond our planet. But the deregulation conducted by our Polish squad has nothing to do with the deregulation of Musk - for example due to the difference between the strategy that prevails in the United States and Poland. Besides, we're not the law. What we have is most likely the fact that we played "Civilization" in our youth. Its characteristic feature is to build and regulation an empire from prehistoric times to the close future.
PAP
