The Scope of Decision-Making Freedom of Local Authorities and the Problem of Access to Finance Resources

Abstract

The authorities of local government, under the laws, including the Constitution, have the right to freely decide to meet the needs of the local and regional community. These powers are not unlimited. Legislative access to financial resources as well as the legal limits of local government debt, imposed by the law, force the local government to limit the discretionary powers in financing the tasks. There are, however, questions about the causes of the excessive indebtedness of local governments in Poland, as well as the actions leading to illegal debt and the transfer of debt to subsequent periods. They are due to the lack of local authorities’ orderliness in this area or the limited access of Polish local government to financial resources. The issues contained in the study, due to the framework of the article, do not allow a detailed solution to the above issues. However, they signal the basic problems of local government in Poland, also verifying them empirically.