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Health insurance premium. Ryszard Petru: it will be our fault
„We must address the subject of the tax-free allowance,” stated Ryszard Petru, MP from Poland 2050, during his appearance on TVN24’s „One on One” program. He also discussed health insurance contributions, arguing, „If we take no action, they will rise next year.”
– We will have a new president – Petru replied to remarks regarding President Andrzej Duda’s veto of the health insurance contributions law.
Ryszard Petru on health insurance contributions and the tax-free amount
Arleta Zalewska inquired whether it was worthwhile to propose a new bill on this subject. „Otherwise, health insurance premiums will surge next year, and we will be at fault for causing this increase. This is a result of, so to speak, automatic calculations, and this is the foundation,” Petru responded.
The legislation, which was vetoed by President Andrzej Duda, aimed to reduce health insurance contributions for entrepreneurs starting in 2026. This modification would have impacted 2.5 million entrepreneurs and would have reduced the state budget by PLN 4.6 billion (the amount by which revenues from health insurance contributions would be decreased).
„Additionally, we need to discuss the tax-free quota. I understand the Prime Minister has stated it’s unfeasible for next year, but we can distribute it over several years. This should be our legislative initiative. It doesn’t have to be solely Poland 2050; it can be more comprehensive,” he suggested.
When will the tax-free allowance increase? The Prime Minister clarifies >>>
When asked what would happen if President Nawrocki himself proposed a bill concerning the tax-free allowance, he answered: „We should have a counter-proposal.” „I believe we should present it as soon as possible. I can make this request as a coalition member. The Minister of Finance should introduce it. (…) It ought to be a coalition bill, and it should be done promptly,” he stated.
„We need to initiate a program offensive, but the health insurance premium must be modified. Otherwise, it will escalate next year,” he stressed.
– This is a primer, I can assert – he added.
Arleta Zalewska noted that the Prime Minister has already declared there will be no tax-free allowance in 2026. „It could be arranged that next year we initiate a reduction of the tax-free allowance so that individuals can start to experience the improvement,” suggested the guest on „One on One.”
Petru: this is extremely irresponsible
Petru also addressed President Karol Nawrocki’s proposal to lower the VAT rate from 23% to 22%. „I find this to be extremely irresponsible, as all these plans together amount to tens of billions of zlotys. The president should refrain from proposing initiatives that are unrealistic from a budgetary standpoint,” he commented.
When questioned about the ruling coalition’s campaign promises, he responded that „the devil is in the details.” „How will we manage this over time? The health insurance premium could cost around 4.5 billion zloty. I didn’t claim it’s a minor figure, but it’s not something that would devastate the budget, and there are also savings to be found within the budget,” he noted.
„I would prefer to see a lower VAT, but we cannot afford to reduce it from 23% to 22% at this moment. Let me remind you that PiS has failed to achieve this for eight years. This should be highlighted. PiS could have resolved all the issues raised by Karol Nawrocki in the past eight years. Let me point out that we have been in power for a year and a half, and many of the economic and budgetary challenges are a result of PiS’s misguided actions,” he remarked.
„And let me remind you, they did not raise any of these issues while they were in power—not even the tax-free allowance, but they increased the contributions and did not lower the VAT. Let me remind you of that,” he added.
When asked about the coalition’s actions regarding Nawrocki’s initiatives, he replied that „there must be controversy.”
Arleta Zalewska asked why significant economic legislation has not yet been passed. „A reconstruction has certainly occurred. There is undoubtedly some internal resistance that must be addressed. And that’s what I would expect. (…) Bureaucracy always resists change. We need to give the new Council of Ministers a honeymoon, but it can’t be excessively long. (…) There won’t be any vacation in August because Karol Nawrocki will go on the offensive. (…) August should be dedicated to a political counteroffensive on our part,” he stated.
– The one who wins is the one on the offensive, not the one who defends – he concluded.
Tax-free allowance and Nawrocki’s initiative
Karol
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