Government talks on the 2025 budget are ongoing. Editorial team of money.pl managed to get access to important initial data on this subject. Several sources confirm that a proposal to increase defense spending to 4.7 percent of GDP (this year it is to be 4.1 percent) is on the table. This would mean that we will spend about PLN 190 billion on this purpose next year. This would be a record both in relation to GDP and in nominal terms.
But this amount may be even higher; for several months now, it has been said that it could even be 5 percent of GDP. Such numbers were also given on Tuesday, August 27 by PO MP Marek Sowa, quoted by IAR. “They will make an impression in all member states NATO” – emphasizes MP Sowa.
Budget 2025. Talks on record defense spending underway
Money.pl has also established that serious talks are underway with the EU to shift some of the defense spending to the Community budget. The argument for this could be that we are a frontline country. The matter is to be clarified by the end of September.
Next year's budget will most likely have a larger deficit than this year, when it amounted to PLN 184 billion. Money.pl's interlocutors do not want to reveal specific numbers, however, because the parameters may still change. The estimated Cost debt servicing is to amount to PLN 100 billion.
Another proposal is to increase the budget by 5 percent. According to IAR, next year's budget is also to guarantee funds for investments and social programs. Both the current ones, such as 800 Plus, and newe.g. so-called grandmother's.
There will be no belt-tightening. But what about health insurance premiums?
Minister of Science and Higher Education Dariusz Wieczorek, a member of the Left, told Polish Radio that during Monday's coalition meeting on the budget, they did not discuss ideological issues, but mainly the economy, the amount of the deficit and the obligations left by predecessors. He explained that debts related to the Polish Development Fund or the Covid fund must be repaid.
Wieczorek stressed, however, that there would be no belt-tightening and that social issues would be maintained. The ruling coalition wants to secure money to implement further program promises – including subsidies for mortgage loans. The Minister also spoke about housing issues and the issue of the “Zero Percent Credit”. “We want the act on the subsidy fund to be changed, so that there are funds for the construction of municipal apartments, for cheap rental and the construction of student dormitories,” he said. He added that the “Zero Percent Credit” is a matter for discussion.
The chairman of the Poland 2050 club, Mirosław Suchoń, said that the budget would also include a housing program that would support social housing – as he emphasized, it was to strengthen supply, which should stop the increases price on the housing market.
Dariusz Wieczorek also said that during the discussion of the budget for healthcare and the National Health Fund, a discussion about the level of the healthcare contribution arose. As he explained, the reform is to first concern the payment of the contribution from fixed assets by entrepreneurs.
However, according to the announcements of politicians, the budget of Poland 2050 already includes an amount of PLN 4 billion to reduce the health insurance contribution for entrepreneurs. Mirosław Suchoń also announced that the changes concerning the health insurance contribution will include not only its elimination from fixed assets. – We want micro and small entrepreneurs to feel this reduction in the first stage – he explained.