On Thursday, Minister of Development and Technology Krzysztof Paszyk announced that ZUS has already received over 1.5 million applications from entrepreneurs wishing to take advantage of the so-called “ZUS Contribution Holidays.”

As the National Federation of SMEs, we maintain our stance from the beginning of the year, when we pointed out that suspending ZUS contributions for just one month is too short a period. Entrepreneurs facing financial difficulties will not be able to stabilize their businesses within just 30 days. The proposed assistance should be targeted specifically at business owners who are in a critical financial situation or whose income is minimal.

In our view, granting access to “ZUS Contribution Holidays” for entrepreneurs who are financially stable is a complete misunderstanding. Simply put, this is wasting public funds. A far better solution would be to move towards a system of “voluntary ZUS contributions.”

The funds allocated for the “ZUS Contribution Holidays” program could be used far more effectively—primarily in a way that would provide real support for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in Poland who are truly in need.

It is worth noting that, according to a report by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, SMEs contribute 45.3% to Poland’s GDP in 2024.