The Polish government would raise monthly child benefit payments to 800 zlotys ($193.13) per kid from 500 zlotys beginning in 2024, according to the head of the ruling Law and Justice Party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
The “Family 500 plus” family support program is a flagship project of the Law and Justice party (PiS), which was launched in 2016.
“… from the new year, 500 plus will be 800 plus,” Kaczynski said at a convention before the fall legislative elections.
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Among other initiatives aimed at lowering living costs, Kaczynski stated that medication would be provided free of charge to anyone over the age of 65 and under the age of 18, and that tolls on state-owned national roads would be eliminated.
Child benefits presently cost the state budget more than 40 billion zlotys each year. The PiS leader did not specify the cost of the benefit hike, but expressed confidence that it would not drive inflation.
“We hope that inflation will be low in the coming year, so that this new financial injection will no longer threaten a return to inflationary tendencies – we have taken this into account,” Kaczyski added.
Inflation fell to 14.7% in April from 16.1% in March, and the central bank of Poland expects it to fall into single digits by the end of the year.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated on Twitter that the cabinet would address the electoral convention suggestions at the next meeting.
The Law and Justice party’s next electoral convention is scheduled for June.
(1 dollar = 4.1422 zlotys)
Reported by Pawel Florkiewicz and Karol Badohal
Editing by David Goodman
