The Parliament passed the budget for 2024

On Thursday, the Sejm passed the budget act for 2024. State revenues are planned at nearly PLN 682.4 billion, expenses at PLN 866.4 billion, and the deficit is not to exceed PLN 184 billion. PLN 118 billion, i.e. 3.1%, was allocated for defense. GDP; PLN 192 billion will go to health care.

240 MPs voted in favor of this year’s budget, 191 were against and three abstained.

“This is a budget for Polish women and men, a budget in which Donald Tusk’s government fulfills its election promises from the campaign,” said Finance Minister Andrzej Domański in the Sejm on Thursday. He recalled that the budget included funds for 30%. salary increases for teachers, and for beginner teachers – by 33%. As he added, “there is PLN 5 billion for academic teachers”, there are raises for employees of KRUS, ZUS and the budget sector.

Domański noted that the government remembered about local government, and the budget included over PLN 3 billion in development subsidies. He pointed out that the budget includes money for the so-called grandmothers as part of the “Active parent” program.

He emphasized that the budget also provided more funds for health care and national defense.

“I want to assure you that in the coming months we will implement point by point what we have committed to,” he said.

On Thursday, the Sejm voted on 12 amendments proposed in the second reading. The MPs adopted the KO’s amendments, including: transfer of PLN 8.3 million from the Supreme Administrative Court and PLN 10 million from the Institute of National Remembrance, among others for the specific reserve of local government units (PLN 16.1 million). The expenses of the Institute of National Remembrance were reduced by PLN 7.2 million, earmarked for the Supreme Audit Office. The next amendment also reduces the budget of the Institute of National Remembrance by PLN 1.2 million to be allocated to the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman), another assumed a change in the financial plan of the National Media Institute, which was a consequence of the previously adopted changes resulting in cutting the expenses of the National Broadcasting Council. In addition, PLN 37.4 million was transferred to art schools, and subsidies for non-public art schools and for artists’ retirement benefits were increased. PLN 40 million will go to the “Senior+” program.

The Sejm rejected the amendments submitted by PiS, which aimed, for example, at increasing the financing of the Institute of National Remembrance (by nearly PLN 50 million), the National Broadcasting Council (nearly PLN 47 million) and the Supreme Court (PLN 26.4 million).

As PiS MP Zbigniew Kuźmiuk said before the vote, he expects the government to “amend the budget with huge spending cuts” in the middle of the year.

Marek Sowa (KO) turned to PiS MPs: “In the September budget, you prepared several parachutes, sinecures for your own dignitaries.” He pointed out that the IPN budget was increased by PLN 115 million, i.e. over 20 percent, and after the cuts made during the parliamentary proceedings, the IPN budget is still PLN 48 million higher than last year’s.

For the double indexation of pensions and pensions introduced in the budget when inflation exceeds 5%. Tomasz Trela ​​(Left Wing) drew attention.

Krzysztof Paszyk (PSL – TD) called the budgets of the United Right “pathobudgets” and said that “no debt was shown at all.”

According to Rafał Kasprzyk (Poland 2050 – TD), the budget is restored for the people, “for all citizens”.

Michał Wawer from Konfederacja said that the budget prepared by former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki was “the worst imaginable”. “The platform got caught in a trap, took a terrible budget and made it even worse,” he said.

The budget law adopted on Thursday assumes that the deficit will amount to no more than PLN 184 billion, and the deficit of European funds is set at PLN 32.5 billion. The justification to the act indicated that, taking into account the financial plans of other public finance sector units, the forecast deficit of the finance sector – according to the EU methodology – will amount to 5.1% this year. GDP.

State revenues are expected to amount to nearly PLN 682.4 billion, including tax revenues of almost PLN 603.9 billion.

The established spending limit for this year is nearly PLN 866.4 billion.

The government has planned defense spending of PLN 118 billion, which is 3.1 percent. GDP planned for 2024

The budget also includes a continuation of the increase in health care spending, which will amount to PLN 192 billion. PLN 117.9 billion was planned for subsidies for local government units.

The budget includes funds for the implementation of the “Active Parent” program for women who return to the labor market after giving birth to a child, and PLN 500 million for financing the in vitro procedure.

The budget also provides money for the continuation of socio-economic programs, including: implementation of the “Family 800+” program, family care capital, indexation of pension and disability benefits from March 1, 2024, payment of the so-called 13th and 14th pensions this year.

The budget – as written in the justification to the act – was prepared on the assumption that GDP growth will amount to 3% and average annual inflation will amount to 6.6%, while investments will increase by 4.4%, which is to result, among others, from: from the implementation of projects from the National Reconstruction Plan.

It was assumed that this year imports would grow faster than exports, as a result of which the current account balance would be 0%. GDP. The inflow of long-term capital, i.e. direct investments from non-residents and European structural funds, should also be continued.

The budget assumed that due to the improvement in the economic growth rate, the demand for labor would increase. Average employment in the national economy will increase by 1.2%, and the registered unemployment rate at the end of the year is expected to be 5.2%. The nominal increase in the average salary in the national economy this year. is expected to be 9.8 percent. (approx. 3 percentage points above the forecast inflation), which will result, among others, increase in the minimum wage.

The bill will now go to the Senate. If the Upper House proposes amendments, the bill will return to the Sejm. If the Senate does not propose changes, the bill will be sent to the President of the Republic of Poland for signature by January 29.

According to art. 224 of the Constitution (Chapter The Tribunal has a maximum of two months from the date of submission of the application to issue a ruling.

The Constitution also provides that if, within four months from the date of submitting the draft budget bill to the Sejm, it is not presented to the President of the Republic of Poland for signature, he may order the shortening of the term of office of the Sejm within 14 days. (PAP)

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