In a final vote, an absolute majority of Polish MPs on Thursday evening backed the financial plan, overriding all 77 modifications introduced earlier by the upper house of parliament, the Senate, state news agency PAP reported.
The country’s budget deficit is expected to be no more than PLN 68 billion (EUR 14.4 billion, USD 15.7 billion) this year, and the target for the general government deficit is 4.5 percent of GDP under the financial plan approved by the bicameral legislature.
Government revenue is expected to total PLN 604.7 billion in 2023, with spending set at PLN 672.7 billion.
The budget bill now goes to President Andrzej Duda for signing into law.
The approved budget ensures full financing for the government’s key social assistance projects, including its flagship "500-plus" child benefit programme and subsidised school supplies for children nationwide, officials have said.
Meanwhile, health spending is expected to exceed 6 percent of GDP, and defence spending is expected to stand at 3 percent of GDP this year.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has described the government's financial plan as “an ambitious budget for difficult times.”
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Source: PAP, IAR