Biznes Fakty
Poland's budget for 2026. „They will also ask the government”
An additional government assembly is scheduled for Thursday, during which topics concerning the preparation of the state budget for the upcoming year will be addressed – as stated in Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s announcement on Tuesday.
– I will also request the government to convene another meeting – stated Prime Minister Donald Tusk prior to Tuesday’s Council of Ministers gathering. He clarified that this would take place through an extraordinary process.
– We will discuss, among other things, the budget preparation – the Prime Minister remarked. – Alongside the Minister of Finance, they intend to inform the countries about all the parameters, opportunities, constraints, and possibilities to ensure we can craft the budget in a thoroughly responsible and exemplary manner – said the head of government.
– We will also reconvene at the government meeting on Thursday – Tusk added.
Budget Act
At the end of April, the Council of Ministers approved macroeconomic projections for the years 2025-2029, which – as explained by the Prime Minister’s Chancellery at that time – „will serve as the foundation for drafting the budget act for 2026”. According to these projections, real GDP growth in 2026 is expected to be 3.5%, with an average annual inflation rate of 3.8%.
„Significant investment expenditures and resources from the National Reconstruction Plan (KPO – ed.) that facilitate infrastructure modernization and energy transition will once again play a crucial role. Additionally, a falling inflation rate will bolster economic growth, stabilizing household purchasing power and enhancing business operating conditions,” the press release states.
In 2026, the ongoing favorable conditions in the labor market, high employment rates, and rising real incomes will continue to support private consumption – as per the announcement from April. Next year, the average salary is projected to increase – according to the estimates – by 7.6 percent, and in real terms, by 3.6 percent.
In the forthcoming years, the government anticipates a decline in the GDP growth rate. For 2027, GDP growth is expected to be 3 percent, while in 2028 it will be 2.7 percent, and in 2029 – 2.6 percent. Meanwhile, average annual inflation is projected to be 3 percent in 2027, 2.8 percent in 2028, and 2.5 percent in 2029.
According to the information regarding the budget procedure published on the gov.pl website, the assumptions for the draft state budget and their approval are set to occur in the May-June timeframe. Subsequently – in June – the initial forecast of macroeconomic indicators is to be presented to the Social Dialogue Council, while budget administrators (including ministries and institutions) are to submit their task implementation plans to the Minister of Finance.
In July, expenditure limits will be established for the various budget segments, and within 21 days of receiving these limits, budget administrators are expected to provide detailed budget plans for their respective areas. A month later – in August – the Ministry of Finance will compile a preliminary budget draft and present it to the government. This draft is set to be forwarded to the Sejm by September 30.
As per the constitution, the budget must be submitted to the president for signature within four months from the presentation of the draft budget act to the Sejm. Should this not occur, the president may initiate a reduction of the Sejm’s term within 14 days. The constitution stipulates that the president must sign the budget within seven days.
