Polish MPs focused yesterday on a debate around a bill proposing to lift the limit of social pension contributions. Presently, there is a fixed contribution cap for high earners. The opposition claims that the withdrawal of this bill is supposed to prove the conflict in the ruling right camp. Politicians of the ruling camp, however, deny that there is a conflict at all, and the discussion about the bill on the abolition of the contribution ceiling is a normal one for Poland’s finances.
After the proposal of the bill, submitted by the Law and Justice party, providing to remove the ceiling of the social pension contributions disappeared from the lower house of Polish parliament agenda, the meeting of the United Right leaders on a coalition agreement took place. For several days, there have been talks about some noticeable tensions on the right, due to the opposition to the proposed changes to the bill by one of the Law and Justice coalition partners – the “Agreement” party of Jarosław Gowin.
”The chairmen of all three parties will meet. The atmosphere is good, the talks are in progress. We are glad that this project has been withdrawn, it shows that agreement on a united right is important”- says Stanisław Bukowiec, Agreement party.
Withdrawing the bill proposal seems to be a concession to the faction of Deputy Prime Minister Gowin, although unofficially the project is expected to return to the lower house later, probably after the 2020 Polish presidential election, perhaps in a changed formula. Law and Justice party politicians say that there is no crisis in the united right.
”We will work on the economic issues. There is no conflict, these are just talks. A discussion is taking place and these are its effects. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take two steps forward”, says Karol Karski,European Union MP,Law and Justice party.
As political columnists point out, the withdrawal of the bill is certainly a success for Jaroslaw Gowin, although no one is under the illusion that the proposed regulation will return sooner or later.
”This shows that the Law and Justice party politicians are not concerned with an image problem. Until now the united right has spoken unanimously, unlike the opposition, and this unity has been lacking in the last few days, but I don’t think it is going to bring permanent conflict”- says Michał Wróblewski, publicist,Wirtualna Polska.
”I think this project will come back and it has been withdrawn temporarily. In my opinion, the move is just to calm the situation a bit, taking care of other issues and discussing whether this bill has a chance to pass”- says Maciej Chudkiewicz, publicist,TVP Warsaw,TVP Info.
The removal of the social pension contribution limit was to bring over 7 bln zł to the state budget in 2020. This was the second attempt to establish such a law. The first bill proposal was considered at the beginning of 2018 and was redirected to the Constitutional Tribunal by President Andrzej Duda, who in turn decided that the bill was unconstitutional.