Thousands of companies do not know this obligation. “I lost all day trying to find out”

Energy suppliers threaten entrepreneurs with correcting energy prices and calculating interest. The spokeswoman for the SMEs intervenes, and the government introduces the amendment – this is how you can summarize the confusion around a new obligation, which many companies do not know about. It is about settling from preferential energy prices for the second half of 2024. Applications, in accordance with the Act, must be submitted by February 28, but the amendment adopted during the Tuesday meeting of the government introduces an additional date – by June 30. The problem, however, does not apply only to the date, but also the lack of awareness of entrepreneurs. About 250,000 have the obligation to settle. entities, and at the end of January only about 2,000 of them. Many companies just don’t know that they have to submit documents, and this ignorance can cost them a lot. Entities that will not provide information on public aid on time, because they will lose the right to the maximum price for the period from July 1 to December 31, 2024. This means that energy suppliers will add a difference between the maximum price and the standard contractual price and will calculate statutory interest on the difference.

“I lost all day trying to find out”

The owner of the Poznań salon from the Beauty industry learned about the obligation from the January internet news. They were punished with penalties, so she went to the facility of her operator, in her case Enea, to find out what’s going on.

– I was not only not provided with reliable information on the spot, but the employee serving me misled me in the scope of what should be included in the application. He could not answer my questions, but he acknowledged them with a learned formula that he was not obliged to provide me with information on this subject. Finally, he ordered me to go to a lawyer – reports Mrs. Anna from Poznań.

The tireless entrepreneur tried to learn something by calling the helpline of her operator – unfortunately to no avail. In the Poznań magistrate she was informed that the operator has a statutory obligation to provide her with all explanations.

– I made an appointment for the next meeting at the ENEI facility and only then I was able to submit the application – says the owner of the company and regrets the lack of information in this respect. – I had to cancel my clients and I lost my whole day of work, trying to learn somethingĆ – he says, not hiding indignation. This case confirms the rule – entrepreneurs do not know this obligation.

– Since entrepreneurs are obliged to submit documents within a specified period, it is equally important that the institutions responsible for its implementation ensure an effective flow of information – believes Piotr Juszczyk, the main tax advisor of Infakt.

Operators informally inform

On Monday, February 3, Enea issued a message in which it reminds the SME of the submission of an important document.

“We remind you to medium, small and micro -enterprises about the submission of an important document. Until February 28, they have time to transfer info. about publisher or de minimis. Thanks to this, they will retain the powers to the maximum energy prices in the second half ’24 ” – we read in the post posted by the operator on the X. platform.

– We encourage you to submit the required document as soon as possible, this will allow you to maintain the maximum price for a given enterprise. In the absence of such a document, we will have to correct the settlement for the second half of the year 2024. The correction will consist in the use of prices resulting from the contract instead of the maximum price and statutory interest in the settlements. – explains in the communiqué, Magdalena Majchrzycka, director of the Sales Department at Enea SA.

Similar messages have appeared on the pages of other operators in recent days. PGE, Energa and E.ON.

The SME spokesman intervenes regarding electricity settlement

The portal “Handlowy” reported on February 5, citing the findings of the SME spokesperson that about 250,000 are subject to new informational obligation. companies. Meanwhile, at the end of January it was barely fulfilled by 2,000 companies. According to Agnieszka Majewska, cited by the portal, the spokeswoman for SMEs, this is the result of ignorance, which is why she “came out with the initiative of an urgent amendment to the Act, consisting in postponing the date of submitting information. She also postulated a wide information campaign among entrepreneurs, “we read in the material.

Is the government’s decision – the current settlement date extended

The initiative turned out to be effective, because during the Tuesday meeting the government adopted a draft amendment to the Act on the amendment of the Act on the Power Market and some other acts submitted by the Minister of the Climate and Environment.

“After the intervention, Minister Agnieszka Majewska brought an amendment to the Act on the Power Market. New regulations: they maintain the current date, introduce an additional – by the end of June 2025, regulate the situation if the Act entered into force after 28.02 “. – We read in the Platform X post of the Office of the SMEs of SME on Platform X.

According to Piotr Juszczyk, this institutional sluggishness in the field of information flow caused this situation.

– If such regulations were implemented with appropriate communication, so that entrepreneurs do not have to find out about them at the last minute, then the state would not be forced to intervene – notes the expert.