Ladies and Gentlemen,
We would like to inform you that for reasons beyond our control, stemming solely from the decision of the Polish legislature, we are forced to increase the rates for services provided at our intermodal terminals. These increases are a direct result of the entry into force of the Act of November 19, 2024, amending the Agricultural Tax Act, the Local Taxes and Fees Act, and the Stamp Duty Act (Journal of Laws, item 1757). This legal change, which will take effect on January 1, 2025, involves repealing the current tax exemption for railway infrastructure included in terminals and made available to rail carriers on non-discriminatory terms under the Rail Transport Act. From the New Year, terminals will continue to be required to provide rail infrastructure to carriers, but without the right to property tax exemption, which has severe consequences for their operations and dramatically increases operating costs. In order to maintain the profitability of our terminals, we are forced to increase the rates for transshipment services provided at our facilities in Kutno, Brzeg Dolny, Gliwice and the Kolbuszowa depot.
We would like to inform you that the new rates, which will be included in both our Terminal Tariffs and the terminal part of our Intermodal Tariff, will come into effect on February 1, 2025 and will be:
- reloading in the wagon-plan or yard-truck relation and v.v. – EUR 28 / PLN 125 (instead of the previous EUR 25 / PLN 115)
- manipulation and transit – 42 EUR / 187 PLN (instead of the previous 38 EUR / 178 PLN).
The latest amendment to the Local Taxes and Fees Act poses a challenge for the entire intermodal transport sector in Poland and contradicts the main thrust of European policy, which aims to shift freight transport from roads to sustainable, low-emission rail transport. Despite our best efforts to maintain tax exemptions, the Ministry of Finance has decided to revoke them from terminals. As a result, from the New Year, terminals will be the only facilities providing rail infrastructure to bear the tax burden. Nevertheless, we continue to believe that intermodal transport based on a network of regular rail connections is the best solution for sustainable freight logistics in Europe. We continue to strive to improve the quality of our services and hope that you will join us.
