The Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry (PIPT) has asked the Prime Minister to cancel subsidies received by companies in the exhibition industry.
Support was granted by the Polish Development Fund (PFR) under the Financial Shield 2.0 programme. About 80 percent of companies involved in the organization of trade fairs benefited from it. One in ten companies may have problems with subsidy clearance. Entrepreneurs from the trade fair industry could not operate for a long time. This is due to bans related to the coronavirus pandemic. In June, the government decided to unfreeze the trade fair industry. However, it takes several months to prepare such an event. In fact, the fair only started in the autumn. And grant regulations stipulate that any unused portion of the money must be returned. Companies from the exhibition industry feel disadvantaged in relation to other entrepreneurs. Many of them could have started their business already in spring.
The PIPT is proposing a complete write-off of the grant for companies that have not generated enough revenue to return some of the money. The Committee to Defend the Trade Show Industry (KOPT), on the other hand, wants the subsidies forgiven for all companies.