DETERMINANTY AUTONOMII DOCHODOWEJ SAMORZĄDU TERYTORIALNEGO W POLSCE

Financial aspect remains a key aspect of decentralization from the point of view of local self-government, and a kind of test illustrating the nature and scope of the processes of decentralization is the category of financial independence of local governmental units, referred to in Anglo-Saxon literature as local financial autonomy. The aim of the research is to demonstrate the essence and the key role of this category in terms of the local financial system, as well as the identification and evaluation of key determinants limiting the scope of the revenue autonomy of local government in Poland. The most important determinants are stated as follows: limited stability and performance of self-government units, excessively limited range of local taxation powers, frequent practice of imposing additional tasks to the regional and local authorities without appropriate financial compensation, dominance of income transfer in the system of local government finances, dysfunctional income equalisation system of local government, restrictive system of rationing local deficit and debt, excessive politicisation of the local government.