Małgorzata Schultz reporting from LA on Christmas preparations
We asked our correspondents how do they spend Christmas in their hometowns. Take Los Angeles. People there not only celebrate Christmas but also African American Kwanza and Jewish Hanukkah, which started yesterday and will last 8 days.
This year all these Holidays are at the same time and are all connected to the symbolism of light.
Margo Shultz reporting from the rainy city of Angels.
Judge Juszczyszyn comes back to work
The Disciplinary Chamber of the Polish Supreme Council overruled the decision of the regional court to suspend judge Paweł Juszczyszyn. The judge himself did not appear at the court’s hearing since, as he believes, the chamber is violating the constitution. It’s worth reminding, that judge Juszczyszyn was suspended in November by the president of the Regional Court and disciplinary actions were taken against him. All because he demanded to make public how the justices voted for the new members of the National Council of the Judiciary.
“Neither judge Juszczyszyn nor his attorneys showed up at yesterday’s hearing as they believe the Disciplinary Chamber is unconstitutional. The minister of Justice Zbigniew Ziobro commented on the matter by saying: who doesn’t recognise the lawfulness of a court puts themselves above the law. Judge Juszczyszyn was suspended for a month after he questioned the ruling given by a judge appointed to his position following the reform of the National Council of the Judiciary. The Disciplinary Chamber overruled the suspension today, at the same time stating that it’s unacceptable for a judge to question the lawfulness of the appointing of other justices or their verdicts”- says Aleksandra Zarzycka, TV Republika.
“To put it shortly; even though, the ruling of the Supreme Court has some negative reviews of judge Juszczyszyn’s actions, at the same time it states that there is no basis for such a drastic measure as suspension”- says Piotr Falkowski, spokesman for The Disciplinary chamber of The Supreme Court.
“We can’t allow for a situation where there would be anarchy and chaos in the Polish judiciary. How is it, that some judges undermine the authority of other judges who were appointed by the National Council of the Judiciary and approved by the president?”- says Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland.
The verdict has not yet come into force, so we will definitely have a continuation of this story in the coming days. The case of judge Juszczyszyn motivated the current government of the Law and Justice party to prepare a new bill regarding disciplinary actions against justices. A bill, which was passed by the parliament last Friday.
Balanced 2020 budget project adopted – no debt!
The Polish government adopted the projected budget for the fiscal year 2020. The budget has no projected deficit and has guarantees of funds for all needs and new social programs, as well as lowering the basic tax bracket from 18 to 17 percent and increasing tax deductions for generating income, which will affect 24 million taxpayers. The funds for the 13th pension, cost of living adjustment and support for the disabled were also secured.
”We now have a budget with no deficit, a balanced budget which includes the funds necessary to run our great family program for children, which is 500+. This is starting with the first child and we will keep our election promises. This 2020 budget also includes programs for young people, for example, no income tax for taxpayers under 26 years old as well as a decreased tax bracket from 18 to 17 %, which will affect 24 million taxpayers. This is an unprecedented change, and this decrease we took into account in our budget projection. Next, is the 13th pension for all retirees and also for disability recipients, which was adopted today and it is a part of this budget. You can say that in the presence of the turmoil we are now facing recently, like Brexit, slowing down of the Euro zone economy, or the trade war between the US and China which cause some economic perturbations in the world, all those problems create a situation where our stable balanced budget gives us comfort. It gives us a safety buffer for the year 2020. Economic growth is in our plans, our ideas, when we think about our future. It is so far a basis for Poles to be optimistic, and our budget adopted today gives us an assurance to continue that”- says Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland.
How much will we spend on Christmas?
Most Poles claim that their holiday expenses will be similar to last year’s. The survey conducted by CBOS shows that over 70 percent plans to spend the same as a year ago on the Christmas tree and home decor. Almost two-thirds of respondents predict that they will spend the same as last year on gifts and arranging holidays.
Reducing spending on holidays is primarily planned by people who assess the material conditions of their own household as bad. On the other hand, the intention to increase spending more often than others is declared by respondents with the highest income per capita in a household (over PLN 3,000 per capita). The report pointed out that also some of the lowest earners per capita this year forecasts an increase in spending for the holiday table. The vast majority of Poles expect that this year’s Christmas will be in their family like last year. Few are of the opinion that they will be more prosperous (6 percent). A similar percentage say that Christmas will be less prosperous this year than last year (5 percent).
Consumer Protection Office head resigns
The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection Marek Niechrał has submitted the resignation to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki – the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) said. The resignation was accepted on Monday – emphasized the Office.
As pointed out by UOKiK, resignation by Marek Niechciał is related to his appointment as a member of the management board of the Insurance Guarantee Fund. According to UFG, Marek Niechciuk will take up the function of a board member of the Fund on February 1, 2020. He was the President of UOKIK from May 12, 2016, when he was appointed by the Prime Minister Beata Szydło. Pursuant to the provisions of the Act on Competition and Consumer Protection, Marek Niechału will be the President of the UOKiK until his successor is appointed.
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