The Polish president has given the green light to a set of tax cuts that will help the country navigate its way through rising inflation and cost of living.
The reductions will see VAT being cut on food and fuel. Andrzej Duda signed the plan into effect after it was overwhelmingly approved by both houses of parliament earlier this month. The package, proposed by the government and dubbed Anti-Inflation Shield 2.0, aims to reduce VAT on fuels from 23 percent to 8 percent and cut the tax on food from 5 percent to 0 percent and will be in effect for at least 6 months starting on February 1st. The cuts are estimated to cost the government up to PLN 20 billion.

Source – Polskie Radio

Poland’s statistical office has released the results of the country’s census which was gathered towards the end of 2021.

The results show that the official population of Poland now stands at just over 38 million a very slight decrease since the last official census was taken in 2011 and that the number of apartments in the country stands at 15.2 million, an increase in 1.7 million since 2011. Women also outnumber men by a margin of 51.5 percent to 48.5 percent. The most startling results from the census are the shift in the average age of the population, with a shift from 16.9 percent to 21.8 percent of the population being above retirement age.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Poland’s Iga Świątek has crashed out of the Australian Open after losing in the semifinals to the American Danielle Collins.

The 20-year-old Pole who is ranked number 9 in the world was dispatched 4-6, 1-6. It was the first time she had played for a place in the Australian Open final. Świątek in October 2020 won the French Open, claiming her maiden Grand Slam title and becoming the first Pole to lift a Grand Slam singles trophy.      

Source – Polskie Radio

Gdańsk’s Stogi administrative district has been dissolved by the city council after a dispute between councillors was not resolved after many months.

The last session of the district council was held on February 3rd, 2021, the council has not been functioning and the budget for the district is not being spent. The city council said that the statute clearly states that in a situation where sessions are not held for three quarters, the council must be dissolved. The date of early elections to the Stogi District Council within 90 days is to be announced by the mayor of the city.

Source – Radio Gdańsk

Weather

Today will be a windy day with sunny intervals later in the day and temperatures of 3 degrees centigrade (37 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and -2 degrees overnight. It will stay windy tomorrow with rain and sleet shower and temperatures of 6 degrees during the day and 3 degrees overnight.

Martin Caren/MarWer