Polish Deal. Gov't spokesperson reveals programme schedule

Government spokesperson Piotr Mueller informed that Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki met on Wednesday with some of the members of his cabinet, including Finance Minister Tadeusz Kościński. "In order to discuss the ongoing public consultations regarding changes in taxes and reform of the tax system," the spokesman said.

He added there was "a clear directive to invite all groups interested in this project to get strongly involved in public consultations in the coming days".

"We know it's very important (the project) and that's why the coming days will be dedicated for public consultations, and besides, a decision has been made to extend the consultations, if the need be. At the moment they are meant to last two weeks, but most likely they will be extended to five weeks, to allow representatives of all groups to present their opinions in that regard," he explained.

The spokesman said that most of the key bills of the Polish Deal have already been listed in government's legislation work schedule.

"Including those big ones, such as the tax system or care capital - they are already subject of public consultations. We're determined to have the majority of those projects ready by September at the latest for Sejm session, so that they could be adopted as soon as possible and become effective starting next year," Mueller said.

"So September seems a realistic goal when it comes to adoption of the tax package," he added.

"Besides, we've promised from the start that the government would adopt draft projects within 100 days. We're approximately halfway, then we have the Sejm proceedings, so in realistic terms, we should be ready adopt the pass the final version of the bill somewhere between September and October, so that it can become binding from next year on," he stressed.

The spokesman was also asked when a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, who proposed some changes to the tax reform, would take place.

He said that, so far, some 20 meetings with the Accord party leader have already taken place. "Some of the proposed changes have been included in the tax bill," Mueller said and listed: lowering lump-sum payments from 17 percent down to 14, and from 15 percent to 12 "depending on the type of business".

He admitted, however, "still there are some differences" between PiS and Accord. "That's what public and interministerial consultations are for, to voice concerns, although not all of them can be actualised for one simple reason - the very same document, undersigned by deputy PM Gowin, namely the Polish Deal, mentions things related to increased spending on health care," Mueller said.

He explained that such increase was possible to achieve "through modification of the health care contribution system and making it more fair". "It's impossible to increase health care spending without changing this system, the existing system of collecting health care contributions. On this we have different opinions," the spokesman said.