Child benefit hike hard to implement in budgetary mid-year - minister

Implementing a rise in the Polish government's flagship '500 Plus' social benefit will be hard to achieve in the middle of the budgetary year, a government minister has told PAP.

At a convention on Sunday, held just months before the general election, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party vowed to raise the amount of the monthly child benefit, the so-called 500 Plus, by 60 percent to PLN 800 (EUR 178) from PLN 500 (EUR 111), starting from January 2024.

But on Monday Donald Tusk, the leader of Civic Platform, Poland's largest opposition party, suggested that the rise should be implemented on June 1 this year, saying that "one-third (of the 500 Plus - PAP) has been eaten away by inflation."

On Wednesday, the caucus head of Civic Coalition, an opposition grouping led by PO, said his formation had submitted a draft law to the lower house, the Sejm, providing for the hike to take effect from the start of June.

Łukasz Schreiber, a minister without portfolio in the cabinet office, pointed out that inflation is forecast to fall below 10 percent by the end of the year, which he said would make it a better time to implement the new benefit.

He also said "responsibility for Poland" had to be taken into account.

"We are in the middle of a budgetary year and such a gigantic programme as 800 Plus is difficult to implement at the moment," he said. "In addition, inflation will drop below 10 percent at the end of the year. In this regard it is a better time to introduce that programme. We've got it calculated."

Schreiber went on to say PO was a party that "promises everything, but - as experience teaches - delivers nothing," adding that Donald Tusk would not dictate when a programme would be introduced.

"It's a festival of lies and manipulation on the part of PO," he said. "We won't be drawn into it."