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Polish gov't adopts budget bill

PR dla Zagranicy
Victoria Bieniek 27.09.2017 08:30
Poland's conservative Law and Justice government on Tuesday night adopted a 2018 budget bill which Prime Minister Beata Szydło called "pro-development" and "ambitious".
Mateusz Morawiecki and Beata Szydło. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak.Mateusz Morawiecki and Beata Szydło. Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak.

Szydło said the budget would "guarantee" the 500+ programme of monthly payouts for families, a housing project, and subsidised medicines for elderly, and included education, retirement and healthcare reform costs.

Finance Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his bill was "tough but very responsible".

He said that, thanks to the budget outlined in the bill, PLN 75 billion could be earmarked for social spending, up from PN 19 billion a few years ago.

Morawiecki added that spending has been set at PLN 397 billion while revenues would reach PLN 355 billion, leaving the deficit at 2.7 percent of GDP, less than the three percent threshold set by Brussels.

As of next month, Poland is reintroducing statutory retirement ages of 65 for men and 60 for women, overturning the previous government's initiative to increase the age for 67 for both sexes.
Since April 2016, the government has given families 500 PLN each month for every second- and next-born child, and the handout has also been given for first-borns in low-income families.
Szydło said the budget bill has also earmarked more funds for disasters. Poland in summer saw fierce storms tear through much of the country, resulting in a number of fatalities as well as flooded streets and buildings and people cut off from the power grid.

As of next month, Poland is reintroducing statutory retirement ages of 65 for men and 60 for women, overturning the previous government's initiative to increase the age to 67 for both sexes.

Morawiecki said that between March 2017 and the end of 2018, PLN 20 million more would be spent on retirement pensions, setting total spending at PLN 38.8 billion.

Szydło said the budget bill has also earmarked more funds for disasters. In summer, fierce storms tore through much of the country, causing a number of fatalities as well as flooded streets and buildings and power outages. (vb/pk)

Source: PAP

tags: budget
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