Compromising numbers

The Sejm has passed the 2008 budget, which foresees this year's budget deficit at zł.27.06 billion - zł.1.5 billion less than in an earlier draft. The state's revenue is due to reach zł.281.9 billion and spendings zł.308.9 billion. While the budget was initially prepared by the former ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, it was sent to the Sejm by the coalition of the Civic Platform (PO) and Polish Peasants' Party (PSL).

The state budget includes a series of cuts to various administrative budgets, including that of the Chancellery of the Sejm (reduced by zł.24 million), the President and Prime Minister's chancelleries (zł.8 million each) and the Chancellory of the Senate (zł.2.5 million). The Supreme Chamber of Control (NIK) and the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) will see cuts too, although these are zł.15 million less than PO had previously envisioned. The latter cut was hotly debated before voting in the Sejm.

In some areas, though, spending will grow. The Government Protection Bureau's (BOR) budget will grow by 18 percent in comparison with last year. As much as zł.2 billion will go to teachers' pay raises.

According to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the coalition government didn't have enough time to completely redraft the new budget and thus, he said, it is far from perfect. "Next year the budget will be better," he told the press.

The opposition was not satisfied either. As many as 211 amendments were proposed to the PO-PSL draft budget, the majority of them, 109, by PiS. All amendments proposed by opposition parties were dismissed, however. These defeated proposals included an additional zł.60 million for construction of the Warsaw subway, a second zł.2 billion for teachers and an increase of around zł.250 million for universities.  The Sejm passed the budget with 239 votes in favor, 191 deputies against and two abstentions. The bill is to go to the president by January 25.