Today marks the 21st day from the act being presented to the president for signature. Finally, Karol Nawrocki signed the act on Thursdaywhich means, on the one hand, a high cost for Polish lenders, and on the other hand, an injection of money for the state budget.
The bank tax will help slightly reduce the deficit rate
Pursuant to the act, the corporate income tax rate paid by banks will increase from the current 19%. up to 23 percent From 2026, the rate of 30% will apply, in 2027 – 26%, and only from 2028 – 23%. will be stabilized. In turn, new or small entities whose revenues do not exceed EUR 2 million will pay CIT at the rate of 13%. (currently 9%), and in 2026-2027 these rates will also increase – to 20 and 16%, respectively.
For this reason in itself By 2026, banks are to pay approximately PLN 6.6 billion more in taxesand within a decade more by PLN 23.4 billion. The government wants to use this money to finance greater spending on safety and health care. This is also important for the draft budget for 2026, because the government has included additional revenues in it. Let us recall that the government expects to reduce the public finance sector deficit to 6.5% in 2026. GDP from 6.9 percent GDP in 2025 (with a deficit of PLN 271 billion). in 2026. However, the CIT increase for banks is not a remedy for budget problems: the mentioned PLN 6.6 billion of additional revenues to the tax office reduces the deficit to GDP ratio by only 0.16 percentage points.
The amendment also includes changes in the tax on certain financial institutions, the so-called bank tax. The current rate is 0.0366 percent. the tax base will be reduced to 0.0329%, and from 2028 – to 0.0293%. This relief – if it actually comes into force – will only slightly neutralize the increased CIT rate for banks.
New CIT regulations for banks are to enter into force on January 1, 2026, while changes in banking tax will come into force a year later.
Banks defended themselves against the tax increase
The increase is controversial in the financial sector. The Polish Bank Association criticizes the idea, arguing that increasing the tax for only one industry is unconstitutional and violates the principle of equal treatment of enterprises.
Recently, the Polish Bank Association announced that an increase in CIT will reduce banks' net profits, which will “directly translate into a decline in dividend payments, but will also limit banks' ability to build equity capital — and therefore will lead to a reduction in credit potential.” “Consequently, short-term fiscal benefits may be neutralized by the long-term economic slowdown,” warned the Polish Bank Association.
See also: Banks are trying to achieve asset tax reform. This is doubly displeasing to the Minister of Finance
As a consequence of the permanent increase in the CIT rate, bank capitalization will decrease by nearly PLN 66 billion. Taking into account the decline in capitalization and the decline in dividends, the loss to the State Treasury (State Treasury – PAP) will amount to PLN 14.4 billion, while the loss to pensioners and savers will reach nearly PLN 22 billion,” emphasized the authors of the ZBP analysis.
