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Dr hab. Sławomir Franek
ORCID: 0000-0002-9698-4918

Professor of finance, Head of the the Department of Finance and Banking at the University of Szczecin (Poland). Author of over 100 scientific publications in the field of finance, focusing primarily on finance in central and local government, multi-year budgeting, and performance- based budgeting. Participant in numerous research projects and expert works, with professional experience in the banking sector, public administration and supervisory bodies of companies. Since 2022, President of the Polish Association of Finance and Banking. Member of the Finance Sciences Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

 
DOI: 10.33226/0137-5490.2026.2.1
JEL: H71, H77, H24

This article presents a preliminary assessment of the distributional effects of the 2025 reform of personal income tax (PIT) revenue allocation in Poland, introduced by the Act of 1 October 2024. Using historical data from 2018– 2022, a simulation compares PIT revenues under the new and previous systems across four municipal types: rural, urban-rural, urban, and cities with county rights (CCRs). The results show that the reform strengthens the link between PIT revenues and local economic potential. While all municipalities gain nominally, benefits are uneven. Higher gains are associated with higher average wages, greater use of tax deductions, more non-agricultural employment, and a larger number of businesses. CCRs are most sensitive to income levels; rural municipalities the least. The study contributes to fiscal decentralization literature and offers insights for policymakers designing equitable intergovernmental fiscal systems.

Keywords: local government finance; fiscal decentralization; PIT allocation models