The Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone “INVEST-PARK” has managed to transform Wałbrzych from an area known mainly as a by-gone hub for heavy industry to an attractive place to invest in, by providing subsidies in the form of tax allowances.
APPROACH
- Entrepreneurs investing within the park are eligible to obtain public aid in the form of income tax allowance based on the size of the investment and the number of new work places created,
- In principle, companies within the manufacturing sector are preferred in the selection process, however firms with service activities in the fields of IT, research, and finance are also able to tender for settlement.
ENABLING CONDITIONS
- The primary enabling condition for the INVEST-PARK is the tax allowances in the region provided by the Polish government
- Entrepreneurs can use different sources of public aid, not only the income tax exemption but also European donations, government grants, real estate tax exemptions, etc.
CHALLENGES
- As the government offers tax allowances only for a limited time (until the end of 2020), it remains to be seen if the regional attractiveness, and therefore the recent prosperity, can be sustained in the long-term,
- Attracting (more) companies following a business model in line with a low-carbon economy
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone has become one of the biggest and economically fastest developing zones with 53,500 new jobs and 6.3 billion Euro investment value,
- By realizing not only ‘more jobs’ but also ‘good jobs’, the park ensures long-term perspectives for the highly educated younger generation,
- Tailored and web-based information services.
The transition process is not complete, but will continue in the future. New challenges and questions are arising for the region.
Interested to learn more about the Wałbrzych “INVEST-PARK”? Find more Information here .