New health tax in Poland? The minister puts an end to speculations. “It's the idea of ​​the Left”

Proposal to replace the 12% health insurance premium. health tax is an initiative of the Left and is not a government project – said Andrzej Domański, Minister of Finance and Economy, on Polsat News on Wednesday.

The head of the Ministry of Finance announced that on Tuesday a meeting was held with the Left Club and the Minister of Health Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda, during which the general situation of the health care system and proposals for changes were discussed. The Left's proposal assumes the introduction of a health tax instead of a health contribution – it would amount to 12%. The tax-free amount would be PLN 30,000. zloty; funds for treatment are also to come from the “fat” tax and excise duty on alcohol.

– This is a proposal, an idea of ​​the Left. This is not a government proposal of the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Health, Domański pointed out. He added that the role of the Ministry of Finance is to conduct an open dialogue with coalition partners, but currently there are no government plans to implement the 12% rate. health tax.

Domański also referred to the European Commission report, which indicated that if the debt and deficit were not reduced, Poland could be at risk of a “Greek scenario”. The minister said this was an “extremely unrealistic” option.and the document itself describes the conditions that would have to materialize for it to happen.

He emphasized that last year's budget deficit was lower than the maximum stipulated in the Budget Act, among others. thanks to the good situation on the labor market and higher revenues from contributions and taxes. – Economic growth is accelerating, and growing VAT revenues are stabilizing public finances step by step – he said.

The minister admitted that the rate of debt is associated with high defense spending, reaching almost 5%. GDP. As he noted, approximately PLN 200 billion is allocated annually to modernize the army, and security remains the government's priority.

When asked about the EC's recommendations, such as introducing an income criterion to the 800 plus program, limiting pro-family reliefs or raising the retirement age to 67, Domański assured that none of these activities are planned by the government.

Domański denied Wednesday's media reports that the departure of the Director General of the Ministry of Finance, Marta Nipałowska-Pattwa, was related to the implementation of the National e-Invoice System, pointing out that the termination of cooperation resulted from her professional plans. (PAP)

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