On Wednesday, the Parliament is expected to pass a bill to amend the law on health benefits, eliminating the health premium on the sale of fixed assets and lowering the basis for calculating the minimum health premium. This is a relief for entrepreneurs, but a revenue loss for the National Health Fund, which the state budget is expected to compensate. On Tuesday, the Health and Public Finance committees supported the bill.
Committees in favor of changes to health premium in 2025
Published Nov. 27, 2024 08:11
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A second government draft amendment to the same law, which deals with further changes to the health premium for entrepreneurs, was referred to a subcommittee set up for this purpose on Tuesday.
The committee began its work by considering a motion to reject the government's submission - Marcelina Zawisza (Together) cited, in justifying the motion, the OPZZ's position, scoring the lack of public consultation. - You have said so much about how important democratic principles are. But they aren't when you have to fast-forward through some print," Zawisza said. Her party colleague, Adrian Zandberg, pointed out that the bill was not consulted, but its financial impact is also unknown, as the Finance Ministry officially admits it is unable to estimate it. - You are pushing the bill through with your knee, in the Pisovski way," he said.
The committee agreed to adopt editorial amendments and an amendment by Krystyna Skowronska (KO). The MP proposed that the deduction of the contribution on fixed assets should be optional for entities paying taxes according to the tax scale and paying a flat tax. On the other hand, Janusz Cieszynski's (Law and Justice) amendment to make the regulations retroactive did not gain support.
Twenty-six deputies voted in favor of the bill with the amendments passed earlier, two voted against and 14 abstained. This is also likely to be the balance of votes when the Sejm takes its decision - Law and Justice had already announced during the first reading that it would not oppose any solution that would come out in favor of entrepreneurs.
The government's second bill to amend the law on publicly financed health care services and certain other laws provides for a reduction in health care premiums for some entrepreneurs starting in 2026. Substantive work on it is yet to begin and will take place in a subcommittee set up on Tuesday. It will include three representatives from KO, three from PiS and one representative each from TD-Poland 2050, TD-PSL and the Left.
Adrian Zandberg moved to reject the draft on the grounds that it is extremely unfair and will create further incentives to push workers out of their jobs into business. The committees did not adopt this motion either.
