Deputy PM: rich Poles should not claim child allowance
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
05.01.2016 15:11
Wealthy Poles should not collect a new PLN 500 allowance announced by the government, Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Gliński has said.
Piotr Gliński. Photo: Piotr Drabik (CC BY 2.0)
Gliński appealed to richer Poles not to collect the PLN 500 available for each child as part of a social programme announced by the Law and Justice (PiS) government.
“In our first draft, there was a provision that the richest would be exempted from the programme, but then we removed these barriers, which were purely bureaucratic,” Gliński told RMF FM radio station.
He added that if rich Poles feel that they do not need the money – which will be handed out for the second child upwards – they can decide not to collect the payouts.
The new benefits programme, which was a cornerstone of PiS's campaign in the run-up to the 25 October general elections, is estimated to cost the country some PLN 17.2 billion in 2016 alone.
In order to offset some of the costs, the government has announced it will introduce new taxes on industries including banks and the retail sector. (rg/pk)