Polish Investment Zone (PIZ) – 2024 summary in numbers
14 February 2025
The Polish Investment Zone (PIZ, in Polish: PSI) is one of the key instruments supporting entrepreneurs in Poland, based on a system of tax reliefs. In practice, it allows companies to achieve significant savings in return for making new investments. However, numbers best illustrate how effectively this mechanism functions. Let’s take a look at the detailed data from 2024 and summarize the benefits it brings to businesses.
What is the Polish Investment Zone?
PIZ is a system of tax reliefs for companies making new investments. The amount of support depends, among other things, on the location and cost of the project. The PIZ’s priority is to support regions that are less popular among investors, thus fostering Poland’s sustainable economic development.
The process of obtaining a decision on state aid (in Polish: DoW) is relatively simple and takes a maximum of 30 days, making PIZ a more accessible tool than previous solutions related to Special Economic Zones.
PIZ in numbers – 2024 results
In 2024, 551 state aid decisions were issued under PZI, enabling entrepreneurs to benefit from income tax relief on revenues generated by new investments. Entrepreneurs declared over PLN 15.5 billion of investment expenditures, which will contribute to creating 4,000 new jobs. Significantly, 72% of the decisions went to Polish entrepreneurs from the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector.
From the beginning of the PIZ in 2018 until the end of 2024, a total of 3,054 decisions were issued, with the declared investment value of PLN 132.5 billion. As a result, 51,924 new jobs have been created.
Growing role of SME sector in PIZ
Polish entrepreneurs from the SME sector played a key role in the implementation of investments under the PIZ. In 2024, their share in the number of projects was 72%, an increase of 5 percentage points compared to 2023. The value of SME investments in 2024 accounted for 23% of the total amount declared under PIZ, compared to 19% the year before. Furthermore, the share of SMEs in creating new jobs increased from 17% in 2023 to 30% in 2024.
Since the beginning of PIZ, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises have received 1,913 state aid decisions, representing 63% of all decisions. The total value of SME investments amounted to PLN 20.4 billion (15% of total PIZ expenditures), while the number of jobs created by SMEs reached 9,246 (18% of the total).
Key advantages and challenges of PIZ
Advantages of PIZ:
- Ability to take advantage of tax reliefs throughout Poland.
- Increased accessibility of support for SMEs.
- Shortening the procedure for obtaining a state aid decision to a maximum of 30 days.
- Tax incentives as an alternative for companies that do not meet the requirements of grant programs.
Challenges of PIZ:
- Complicated settlements related to state aid, especially for expansion of existing facilities.
- Ambiguous regulations regarding the national minimum tax may affect efficiency of PIZ.
- Uneven distribution of investments – in some regions of Poland (e.g., West Pomeranian (zachodniopomorskie), Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeships), the number of projects remains low.
Most active zones and investment leaders
In 2024, the highest number of decisions on state aid was issued in the Katowice Special Economic Zone (363), Pomeranian SEZ (335), and Łódź SEZ (295). Cities that attracted the most investments include Gliwice, Gdańsk, and Cracow (Kraków). In contrast, the smallest number of decisions was issued in the Legnica SEZ – just 30.
Summary
The Polish Investment Zone is a mechanism for supporting new investments in Poland, playing a key role in the country’s sustainable development. However, further optimization of the system – such as simplification of settlements or better distribution of investments in less developed regions – can further increase its effectiveness. Thanks to the support offered by PIZ, Polish entrepreneurs, especially those in the SME sector, have the opportunity for dynamic growth, while the country’s economy becomes more competitive on the international arena.
If you have any further questions or require additional information, please contact your business relationship person or use the enquiry form on the HLB Poland website.
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