Mateusz Morawiecki made the declaration at a news conference in the Warsaw suburb of Otwock on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The prime minister was attending an event to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Families on May 15, according to officials.
Morawiecki confirmed that his government would introduce a raft of new policies announced on Sunday by Poland’s conservative leader Jarosław Kaczyński.
Child benefit boost, free medicines, toll-free highways
Kaczyński, who leads Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, told a policy conference in Warsaw that from 2024 the government would boost the “Family 500+” child benefit by PLN 300 (EUR 65) to PLN 800 (EUR 180), as well as make medicines free for children up to the age of 18 and for senior citizens aged over 65, according to officials.
Kaczyński also pledged that highways would be made toll-free for passenger cars “as soon as possible,” the PAP news agency reported.
Child benefit boost to be financed by economic growth: PM
The prime minister told reporters on Monday that “the expansion of the 'Family 500+' child benefit programme into the 'Family 800+' scheme will be financed through a further tightening of the tax system and from additional budget revenue fueled by stronger economic growth.”
He added that the new "Family 800+" benefit would be introduced on January 1, 2024, by which time “economic growth will accelerate,” while inflation “will fall sharply, according to most forecasts."
Morawiecki said that the expansion of Poland’s flagship child benefit programme “will cost some PLN 24 billion (EUR 5.3 billion) a year, or 0.7-0.8 percent of GDP.”
The prime minister also told reporters that the Cabinet would convene for “an additional meeting” this week “to adopt a timetable” for the delivery of all the new policies unveiled by Kaczyński on Sunday.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gazetaprawna.pl