Minimal pension raised to PLN 1,000 in 2017, new retirement age

Lowest pension to be statutorily raised to "not less than PLN 1000", said Labor Minister Elżbieta Rafalska. Presently, the minimal amount is PLN 882,56. At the end of June the project was presented to the Council of Social Dialogue, and is supposed to enter into force in October '17. The government has meanwhile rated positively the new project of lowering retirement age down to 60 yrs/old to women and 65 for men. It is said to be passed this year. The goverment spokesman, Rafał Bochenek, said those new ideas can be financed from a surplus of capital raised from tightening the tax gaps, mainly VAT, at PLN 4 billion.