The Polish government has said that it intends to keep the currently higher rates of VAT for at least another year.

The deputy minister for finance Artur Soboń said on Thursday that the unstable economic situation does not permit a return to the normal rates of 22% and 7%. He said the higher rates were required by current additional expenditures on military, in view of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.

The government has prepared a bill to permit the extension of the higher VAT rates as long as the defence budget exceeds 3% of Poland’s GDP.

Source – Polskie Radio

The Polish government has announced it will support companies affected by the fish die off that occurred in the Oder river this month.

To receive assistance, companies will have to prove that their revenue fell by at least 50 percent in the month when the event took place, compared with previous months. Some 10,000 companies from 34 counties near the Oder are eligible for the support, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Family and Social Policy Minister announced that entrepreneurs and employees from the Oder area, representing 23 industries and totalling over 62,000 people, would be entitled to a one-off, tax-free allowance of PLN 3,010 (EUR 634) per person for the month of August.

Source – Polskie Radio

Polish pensioners will receive a one-off cash boost this year according to the country’s prime minister.

Mateusz Morawiecki made the statement at a meeting with pensioners in the central Polish village of Siennica. The PM said that the one-off allowance, called “the 14th pension,” would soon arrive in the wallets and bank accounts of Poland’s seniors. Some nine million pensioners are eligible for the “14th pension,” which is expected to cost PLN 11.4 billion (EUR 2.4 billion).

The payment will be „income-tested,” which means that pensioners with a monthly income of up to PLN 2,900 (EUR 615) will receive the full benefit of PLN 1,217 (EUR 258), while those with bigger income will get a proportionately smaller benefit.

Source – Polskie Radio

Dead fish are starting to appear in many of Gdańsk’s water retention reservoirs after a prolonged period of hot weather. On Wednesday, for example, 200 dead fish were removed from one of the ponds in Gdańsk Reagan Park.

City workers are aerating the pond in an attempt to avoid further incidents. The issue is thought to be caused by low oxygenation of the ponds due to the warm weather and drought conditions.

Measurements taken on Wednesday showed the water temperature to be 26 degrees centigrade and the oxygen levels to be at a critical level of 2-3 mg/L. Typical, healthy oxygen levels are between 10 and 25 mg/L.

Source – Polskie Radio

Weather

Today will be a cloudy day with sunny spells in a gentle breeze and temperatures of 27 degrees centigrade (81 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day and 15 degrees overnight.

Tomorrow will be sunny with light winds and temperatures of 28 degrees during the day and 16 degrees overnight.

MC/am