Parliament avoids cuts, agreeing to leave current income tax rates unchanged

The parliamentary clubs agreed yesterday in the Sejm that there would be no change in the income tax rates in the year 2001. Poles will pay tax at the current rates of 19%, 30%, or 40% next year. This past May deputies from Solidarity Election Action (AWS) and Freedom Union (UW) submitted to the Sejm Financial Commission a plan for new regulations anticipating the reduction of income taxes. Since then the economic situation has changed. During September's session deputies working in the Financial Commission agreed that reductions should be postponed because of difficulties with the budget for the year 2001. The government likewise supported this move.(Gazeta Wyborcza, p, 21)