– This is what the bill that was passed in this chamber in May this year looks like. The act concerns energy vouchers. You gave hope to Poles and promised help. Especially those who have to cope with galloping growth prices energy. Since July, thousands of Polish families have been submitting applications, waiting for… money. The problem is that thousands of families have not seen even a penny – thundered Confederation MP Grzegorz Adam Płaczek in the Sejm.
A row in the Sejm. An MP tore up the bill, the minister was outraged
He argued that government “he did not transfer even a penny to the communes.” – You gave hope. You argued that this bill is either to be or not to be, and the truth is that this bill should be thrown into the trash, said the MP, and then he tore the documents in his hand. – The Act is fiction. You should burn with shame, he added.
Paulina Hennig-Kloska, Minister of Climate and Environment, responded. – You have just torn up an act that 2.4 million citizens decided to use. 2.4 million citizens are unable to pay their electricity and heat bills because their income is too low. The state decided to support this group of citizens. There is no unnecessary delay, said the MP from Poland 2050 from the parliamentary rostrum. At these words, the Confederation MP stood up and started shouting at the minister.
– I understand that you don't know the procedure. You are a first-term MP, she said, causing an uproar in the room politicians. – I will explain the procedure to you. Applications by local governments have been issued. Decisions adopted. Now Ministry of Finance has given consent to release the funds and pay them to citizens, and before the key heating season this money will reach the citizens because they need it very much – she added. At the same time, she recalled that the Confederation voted against this act. – You should be ashamed to go to the podium – the minister concluded her speech.
What is an energy voucher?
Individuals with a monthly income of up to PLN 2,500 net, as well as multi-person households with a per capita income of up to PLN 1,700 per person, can apply for an energy voucher. Above this threshold, the benefit will be reduced according to the “PLN for PLN” principle. This means that if someone exceeds the criterion by, for example, PLN 50, they will receive a voucher reduced by this amount.
The amount of support will be PLN 300 for single-person households, PLN 400 for two- and three-person households, PLN 500 for four- and five-person households, and PLN 600 for larger households. In exceptional cases you can get an even higher amount. When electricity is used as the main heating source in a house or apartment. Then the maximum payout may be PLN 1,200.
Applications for an energy voucher can be submitted until the end of September. The government estimates that approximately twenty percent of energy consumers will benefit from energy vouchers. If confirmed, approximately three and a half million households in the country would benefit from the benefit.
The article will be updated.