PM Morawiecki prioritises decent work and pay for Poles

Poland's ruling camp has been restoring decent work and pay for Poles, as well as investing in the future, PM Mateusz Morawiecki said in Kielce, southern Poland, on Saturday.

At a meeting with Kielce residents, PM Morawiecki outlined the pillars of the government's policy and said his cabinet was making up for the deficiencies of the first 25 years of democratic Poland, including decent work and pay, homes and the family (policy). "These are (...) the four pillars that we have managed to address. We have shown our way to improve these four dimensions that are basic for every person, and for families in particular," the prime minister said.

The government pursues a policy of equal opportunities and of an equal sharing of the fruits, and not a sharing of the spoils, Morawiecki stressed.

Morawiecki said his cabinet wanted to change the approach to the economy and its individual pillars, including entrepreneurs, taxes and the method of their collection, as well as innovation, investment and savings.

The prime minister also said the government "will support Polish ownership, Polish capital through programmes which reduce CIT to 9 percent from 15 percent," as he referred to a lower corporate income tax for smaller firms. He stressed that 90 percent of CIT payers in Poland, mostly Polish companies, will benefit from the measure.

He also mentioned the government's plans to make companies' social insurance contribution commensurate to their revenue.

Speaking of the Accessibility Plus programme that is designed to make life easier for the disabled and elderly, Mateusz Morawiecki said it will serve all of society. The plan will take effect in 2018-2025 and will cost more than PLN 23 bln (EUR 5.40 bln).

Morawiecki also stressed the importance of moral values in economy, such as fairness, dignity and economic patriotism, which according to him can bolster Poland's development.

"This economic patriotism finds its expression in a number of areas, including the use of Polish products and looking for items manufactured in Poland that offer jobs to Poles, foster Polish entrepreneurship and Polish ownership," he said.

Morawiecki said the government was determined to carry out its reforms with support from society and told the crowd gathered in Kielce that they should not be worried about Poland’s relations with the EU, as they were positive.

Trying to ensure that Poland is economically strong and sovereign must involve costs, the prime minister said, adding that "we must have upset a number of powerful interest groups."

Later in the day, the prime minister laid flowers at a monument to Polish interwar leader, Józef Piłsudski, marking the 83rd anniversary of the statesman's death. (PAP)

jd/jch/