Polish senators OK 2019 budget
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
25.01.2019 01:00
Polish senators have approved the country’s budget for 2019, which expects the economy to grow a healthy 3.8 percent, with inflation targeted at 2.3 percent.
Photo: PAP/Rafał Guz
The budget bill passed in a 61-26 vote with no amendments in the upper house of parliament on Thursday, Poland’s PAP news agency reported.
Under the bill, which now goes to the president for signing into law, the country's budget deficit is expected to be no more than PLN 28.5 billion (EUR 6.6 billion, USD 7.6 billion) this year, and the target for the general government deficit is 1.7 percent of GDP.
Government revenue is expected to total PLN 387.6 billion in 2019, with spending set at PLN 416.1 billion.
The budget bill was last week backed by 241 members of the lower house of Poland’s parliament, while 192 voted against, and two abstained.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told senators on Wednesday that the spending plan drawn up by his conservative government married economic growth with social solidarity.
Morawiecki also said that the budget ensured funding for the government’s key social assistance programmes while meeting "all European Union requirements."
(gs/pk)
Source: PAP