Polish-media tax plan sparks protest and US, EU criticism

With blacked out or clean tv screens, entrance pages and net portals, Poland’s non-public media firms protested towards plans to implement a brand new promoting tax they are saying is a disguised authorities try and muffle criticism.
During the protest on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Warsaw tweeted {that a} “free media is the cornerstone of democracy.” The European Union’s govt arm scolded Poland and Hungary — two member nations that it has accused of undermining democratic values — over choices seen as infringing on media pluralism.
Taking its cue from Budapest, the nationalist authorities in Warsaw has lengthy sought to wield higher management over broadcasters and publishers. Instead of rewriting media-market guidelines, which might anger the EU, the Polish authorities has relied on state-owned firms to “re-Polonize” the business, whereas squeezing retailers with plans for the brand new levy on promoting.
“We’re aware of the concerns raised by Polish media,” mentioned Christian Wigand, a spokesman for the EU’s govt arm. “We’ve seen the black screens.”

About 50 non-public retailers wrote to the cabinet saying the levy would drive some media out of enterprise. State promoting money has in previous years been piled into pro-government retailers, whereas largely shunning extra widespread publications which might be vital of its actions.
The plan follows a Hungarian blueprint that might have positioned an outsized tax burden on German-owned broadcaster RTL Klub, the nation’s largest. While Prime Minister Viktor Orban was compelled to retreat, he’s discovered methods to develop his grip on media by constructing a conglomerate of loyal retailers exempt from some state oversight.
Klubradio, one among Hungary’s final impartial broadcasters, should shift programming to the web on the finish of the week after regulators rejected a bid to robotically prolong its frequency rights.
“We’ve expressed our concerns about media freedom and pluralism in Hungary,” Wigand mentioned. “The case of Klubradio only aggravates these concerns.”
Morawiecki mentioned the measures could be utilized to the likes of Apple Inc., Google, Facebook Inc, and Amazon.com Inc. (Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg)
Polish authorities spokesperson Piotr Muller wasn’t obtainable for touch upon Wednesday. A day earlier, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki mentioned the tax, which is ready to generate about 800 million zloty ($217 million) a yr for the price range, will “bring justice and level out the chances of domestic players up against foreign giants.” He mentioned the measure could be utilized to the likes of Apple Inc., Google, Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.
Last yr, government-run PKN Orlen SA purchased Polish newspapers owned by German writer Verlagsgruppe Passau, strengthening the state’s management over the media.
In a symbolic show, the 2 main non-public tv information networks, Discovery Inc.-owned TVN24 and a unit of Cyfrowy Polsat SA, aired black screens on Wednesday morning, with a caption saying: “Your favorite show was supposed to be here.”