Civil servants' and teachers' salaries will not increase next year (making it the fifth year without a raise), pensions will probably grow by less than 4 percent and Poles will pay more to the country's coffers.
It is expected the average citizen will pay roughly zł.7000 in taxes next year, compared to zł.6600 this year and zł.6400 in 2011. They will also lose several tax reliefs. On top of that there will be very few new jobs and wages will have a hard time keeping up with price increases.
The government still seems optimistic about keeping unemployment stable, at around 13 percent this year with estimated wage growth at 1.9 percent. Economists, however, remain skeptical, predicting it could reach 14 percent this year, and 15 percent next year. All due to the fact that, in the word of Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski, this will be a “budget for difficult times”.
“Poland - no country for single people” is the headline of an interview with renowned Polish sexologist, Professor Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz in POLSKA the TIMES. devoted to modern day relationships and single living.
The professor argues that although in the times of economic hardships more and more Poles turn to sex as means of relaxing, sex is treated instrumentally while a partner is treated as a ‘living sex toy’ which sends a very bad signal.
GAZETA WYBORCZA devotes its front-page coverage to the launch of a new campaign against children obesity.
Every fifth Polish child is already overweight and the number will keep going up because Poles do not like to be physically active and have unlimited access to unhealthy foods, with the consent of both parents and schools. Ninety percent of school cafeterias offer children chips, sweet sodas and chocolate bars while an average Polish seven-year-old has gained over two and a half kg extra over the past twenty years.
Starting a nationwide campaign the daily wants to help super busy modern parents take better care of their children. It also prints the campaign’s manifesto that includes sometimes obvious suggestions to choose fruit over sweets and bikes over cars, to read labels instead of blindly following TV commercials, and maybe most importantly, to like yourself! (pg)
Press review by Danusia Isler
Poland in the foreign media:
The vivisection of Poland The Economist
Polish Solidarity hero is reburied after mix-up Huffington Post/Associated Press
Poland seen cutting rates next Weds as slowdown deepens - Reuters poll Reuters
Poland's Treasury Aims for PLN5 Billion in Dividends in 2013 Fox Business/Dow Jones Newswires
Facebook gives Poland a Like with Central Europe office ZDNet
Wolf Theiss launches in Poland with Beiten office Thelawyer.com
Jennifer Lopez Jogging in Poland With Casper Smart Popsugar.com