Cooperation of NGOs with public administration with respect to public benefit.

The Council has contributed to many solutions concerning the functioning of NGOs and their cooperation with public administration with respect to public benefit. Together with the Department of Public Benefit several guidelines have been prepared as to what rules local self-governmental units should follow while working on the programme of their cooperation with NGOs entitled “The Principles of Creating a Programme of Cooperation Between Local Self-governmental Units and NGOs and Entities mentioned in Article 3 subparagraph 3 of the Act of Law on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work of 24 April 2003”.

Fiscal provisions

The Council contributed to the formulation of tax provisions guaranteeing the development of the non-governmental environment (in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance). The works of the task force for fiscal matters acting at PBWC and the meetings of PBWC members with representatives of the Ministry of Finance contributed to the introduction of amendments to the Act on CIT and PIT. The amendments are related to the following:

• increasing transparency of donations – (obligation to disclose the amount of the donation deducted and data allowing to identify the donee),
• substituting the limit of donations with a percentage limit – 6% instead of PLN 350.
• longer period for donations of 1% of tax - (from 1^st May to 31^st December of the tax year and from 1^th January to 30^th April of the year succeeding the tax year)
• rounding off the amounts donated as 1 % - rounding off to full tens of groszes ( currently groszes are not given)

Governmental programme – Civil Initiatives Fund

The Council has also set some priorities for the year 2005 for the new Governmental Programme, Civil Initiatives Fund, to be implemented in 2005-2007. The said priorities led to the drawing up and, subsequently, to the approval by the Council of Ministers in March 2005 of a document entitled “Basic Directions of the Government’s Actions within the Framework of Implementation of the Governmental Programme – Civil Initiatives Fund in 2005”.

Opinions on government drafts of legal acts

The Council systematically expresses its opinion on government drafts of legal acts related to public benefit activities and volunteer work, recurrently making such drafts take into account the role of the third sector while taking decisions (concerning, inter alia, social aid, promotion of employment and institutions of the labour market).

National Development Plan for 2007-2013

Within the framework of the socialising works on the National Development Plan, the representatives of the Public Benefit Works Council participated in the Inter-departmental Task Force for NDP and their participation resulted in important regulations concerning civil society, social integrity, social wealth or economy, which are to be implemented by means of Civil Society Programme.

The subject matter underlying the functions of the Public Benefit Works Council goes deeper into the problems of development, especially as far as the implementation of cohesion policy is concerned. One particular proof thereof is the position and the role of the third sector in building civil society, specified in cooperation with the representatives of the Council in the document of the National Development Plan for years 2007-2013, which is extremely important for Poland’s civil prospects.

Strategy of Support of the Development of Civil Society

In cooperation with the Department of Public Benefit, several assumptions about the Strategy of Supporting Civil Society Development have been established.

Recommendations for Steering Committees

PBWC gave its recommendations to the representatives of NGOs to participate in the works of the Steering and Monitoring Committees of the operational programmes financed from structural funds.

Information presented to the PBWC:

The Council was presented with the following information:

• information on the mechanisms of creation of and relation to the sector strategies of the NDP for years 2007-2013 – Lech Nikolski – Plenipotentiary of the Government for the National Development Plan
• information on sums donated by tax payers in 2004 constituting 1% of their income - Jarosław Neneman, Undersecretary of the State in the Ministry of Finance, member of the Council
• information on the interpretation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration of the provisions on public collection – Tadeusz Matusiak, Undersecretary of the State in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration
• information on the creation of programmes of cooperation with NGOs in poviats and communes – Department of Public Benefit
• information concerning the report entitled “Citizens for New Europe Project [Research on Public Policy Concerning Civil Activity of Europe] - Grażyna Rokicka, the president of the Polish Consumers’ Association
• information on educational and information action concerning reporting for 2004, for organizations having the status of public benefit organizations – Jacek Paluch, Regional Centre of Information and Support of NGOs in Gdańsk (25-26.10);
• Information on supporting NGOs in implementation of projects financed from the Norwegian Fund – Julita Sekular, Department of Structural Policy Coordination of the Ministry of Economy and Labour