Prof. Przemysław Czarnek, Law and Justice’s (PiS) candidate for prime minister, spoke during a meeting in Wysokie Mazowieckie about, among other things, skyrocketing fuel prices and their disastrous impact on agriculture, which ultimately affects ordinary citizens.
“How is this product supposed to be cheap if the state is squeezing farmers dry?” Prof. Czarnek asked.
The former education minister also addressed the rising cost of living, which—he argued—the authorities could have prevented.
“This country is run by a bunch of incompetents—people who couldn’t care less about the interests of the average Pole, the ordinary citizen,” Czarnek said.
A Forgotten Proposal
He pointed out that electricity and fuel prices directly influence, for example, the cost of vegetables. He cited a petrol station where diesel costs as much as 8.69 PLN per liter, noting that filling a tractor with 300 liters amounts to over 2,600 PLN.
Prof. Czarnek recalled that three weeks earlier, parliament could have proceeded with a bill to reduce VAT from 23% to 8% and cut excise duties on fuel. Had the proposal been adopted, the farmer in question would have paid several hundred złoty less for refueling.
“How is this product supposed to be cheap if the state is squeezing farmers dry?” he repeated.
“Orlen Is Meant to Serve the Polish People”
He also highlighted the very high cost of fertilizers produced by state-owned companies.
Czarnek reminded that during PiS rule, Orlen generated profits while being able to lower its margins. He stressed that Poland had some of the lowest fuel prices during the global crisis.
“Why? Because Orlen took care of the Polish people—because that’s exactly what it is supposed to do,” he said.
He also noted that the new legislation does not specify by how much VAT and excise rates on fuel will be reduced. In his view, this should be clearly defined in the law itself, rather than left to executive regulations, to ensure transparency for citizens.
“We don’t know whether after the holidays they won’t say: ‘we’re raising it again,’” Czarnek warned.
He emphasized that due to earlier inaction by the authorities, fuel prices will not fall before the holidays. Moreover, on the very day the bill was passed, Orlen increased the wholesale price of crude oil by 120 PLN per cubic meter.
“What is this? A state—or dishonest traders?” he asked.