Tomasz Cukiernik talks to Adam Abramowicz, spokesperson for small and medium-sized businesses.
Tomasz Cukiernik: At what stage is the issue of voluntary SISTER for entrepreneurs?
Adam Abramowicz: For five years I have tried to change this unfair and economically damaging system. Together with the citizens’ committee founded by entrepreneurs, I propose changes to the German system. There, the entrepreneur voluntarily pays his own insurance premiums. This was adopted by several political parties, such as Konfederacja and PSL. In the previous parliamentary term, a voluntary ZUS project was submitted and signed by several MPs. However, the marshal did not admit this in the proceedings. The Confederation has already submitted this project this term. I hope the Third Way will support these solutions.
However, the Confederation and Third Way parliamentarians, even together, are unable to pass such a bill.
That’s true. That’s why I’m glad that when an attempt was made to form a government, Prime Minister Morawiecki said that he accepted the voluntary ZUS as a solution that he would implement, so if the PiS votes come in, there will be a majority .
Why is this an important topic for entrepreneurs?
This existing system is a system that is ruining people’s lives. Such a system does not exist in any other European country. Contributions are calculated based on income – this is the case in Slovakia, the Czech Republic or Lithuania, or it is a system similar to KRUS – for example in Great Britain, where there are low contributions and a low pension. With a low income, the entrepreneur pays about PLN 60 per month and receives a small pension. Or like in Germany, where a voluntary system exists. Only in our country is there a very high lump sum: in 2024 PLN 1,600 plus the minimum health insurance premium of PLN 382. This means that the entrepreneur has to pay more than PLN 1,982 every month, regardless of whether he has earned anything or not. With such a system, an entrepreneur can end up in a debt spiral. He doesn’t have it and he doesn’t pay. He also has to earn his living. Some say he should then close the company. But closing a business is not the same as turning off the lights. These are debts, loans, rents, employees. After all, every entrepreneur hopes that he will succeed and continue his business. Even though he doesn’t earn any money, he still has to pay this monthly fee, which puts him in debt. In 2013, the PO-PSL government noticed the problem of entrepreneurs in debt for their own contributions and introduced an amnesty. He has forgiven debts. 10 years have passed and we have 210,000 again. entrepreneurs vindicated by ZUS. There are even more people with debts. That’s 210 thousand. families have disappeared from official circulation and are trying to save themselves by making money in the gray zone. This system will always produce people in debt. If it is not a voluntary ZUS – as in Germany – then you can change this system into a KRUS-like system, but it must be changed.
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
