Concept of the Municipal PIT – Pros and Cons

Abstract

In the Polish legal system, shares of local government units in state Personal Income Tax (PIT) falls into the category of the local government’s own revenues. Such assignment does not meet the basic attribute of the so-called decentralized taxes, which is the taxing power. The local authorities cannot affect the income tax revenue in this case, while at the same time they suffer financial consequences of amendments in the construction of this tax. In Poland, this issue, among other things, fueled a discussion on the need to reduce the dependence of local government units’ revenues on central tax decisions in the form of “local-governmentalization” of the Personal Income Tax and introduction of the so-called municipal (local) PIT. Not only does the article aim to present this concept, but also to identify potential advantages and risks connected with the possible introduction of municipal PIT in the Polish system of local finance.