2021-02-16 12:17 update: 2021-02-17, 15:01
President Andrzej Duda. Fot. PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, will examine a controversial advertising tax bill when it is in its final stages, the president's chief aide has told PAP.
Pawel Szrot told PAP that the president had been informed about the legislation, but had not been consulted about it.
He added that the president stated that he would take a close look at the bill when it was in its "more or less final version."
The bill, which aims to introduce a tax on media advertising revenue, has sparked fears in Poland that the government wants to turn the financial screw on media it regards as unfriendly, and stifle free speech.
Last week many of Poland’s leading newspapers, radio stations and television channels imposed a news blackout in protest over the legislation.
The president's aide also stated that the president believes, "if the funds from the announced tax are actually allocated to the National Health Fund or the Medical Fund, to help Poles, then the matter is definitely up for serious discussion."(PAP)
