As much as PLN 145 billion in 10 years will be lost by cities to the Polish Deal, estimate the Association of Polish Cities and the Union of Polish Metropolises. This is less money for education, helping seniors, building apartments, or public transport, as local government officials alert.

The Association of Polish Cities has launched a website where you can check the costs of implementing the Polish Deal for individual municipalities.

The Polish Deal is a program endorsed by the party forming the United Right, presented in mid-May. On Monday, the Ministry of Finance presented a draft amendment to tax laws, which is part of the program. Its main assumption is to increase the tax-free amount from the current PLN 8,000 to PLN 30,000. Finance Minister Tadeusz Kościński said on Monday that 18 million taxpayers would benefit from the changes proposed by the government.

Local government officials, however, fear that their municipalities will pay for the Polish Deal.

"Tax changes – undoubtedly beneficial for the majority of PIT taxpayers – are introduced by the government of Law and Justice at the expense of cities and communes, counties and local governments. This, however, is not heard in the propaganda rhetoric advertising the Polish Deal," Jacek Sutryk, the Mayor of Wrocław, claimed.

"Warsaw will pay PLN 1.7 billion for the implementation of the Polish Deal. This is exactly the same as half of all expenses that we spend on the maintenance of municipal transport – we will be able to spend less on the maintenance of city trams, buses, subways and city railways," Michał Olszewski, vice-president of Warsaw, assessed.

(PAP)