Fiscal policy before and during COVID-19 and its impact on the creation of new comapnies

Abstract The article analyses relationships between fiscalism indicators and the number of newly registered companies (i.e. a new business density index). The study covered the period from 2015 to 2020 (inclusive). Considering the timeframe, the purpose is to determine the impact of COVID-19 on new firm formation. Two principal research hypotheses are formulated. The first hypothesis assumes a negative impact of fiscal burden on the creation of new firms. The second hypothesis assumes that COVID-19 reduced interest in starting new business entities. The research results demonstrate that there is a negative relationship between fiscalism and new firm formation. Contrary to expectations, the research has shown that COVID-19 did not adversely affect the creation of new companies, as the new business density index remained stable in most of the analyzed countries.