“According to independent opinion polls, inflation will fall. However, it will still be much higher than in Western European countries. Let me remind you that in 2018, we had an inflation rate of less than 2%. – said in an interview with Robert Mazurek in RMF FM Prof. Leszek Balcerowicz, economist, former head of the National Bank of Poland and Minister of Finance.
Prof. Leszek Balcerowicz, in an interview with Robert Mazurek in RMF FM, noted that the increase in inflation is noticeable in many countries, but the main thing is to point out the differences between the situation in individual countries. The economist admitted that the rise in inflation in Poland was strongly influenced by the war that took place on our eastern border, but according to him inflation in Poland exceeded that in Western Europe.
Depoliticization
One can say that in Switzerland, for example, inflation is 2.5 percent, in the US it is now about 5 percent. and in Poland we have almost 15. It is important that it grew in Poland at a time when it did not grow in the West. We have experienced greater internal turmoil related to Russian aggression against Ukraine. But you can’t blame Putin for inflation in Poland rising to much higher levels than in the west
– said Prof. Balcerowicz at RMF FM.
Unfortunately, Prof. Balcerowicz did not try to explain why he compared the situation in Western European countries, more than a thousand kilometers from the border with Ukraine, with the situation in Poland, which borders the attacked state.
The editor of RMF FM also wanted to know if Leszek Balcerowicz had anything good to say about the President of the National Bank of Poland, Adam Glapiński, and his policies. In this regard, Balcerowicz used his old arguments criticizing social spending or state social responsibility for the cohesion of the national community. There were also comparisons of the PiS government with the People’s Republic of Poland and stories of the nationalization of the economy.
The criterion is economic stability. It contains – firstly – what the state of the budget is. It’s gotten much worse because spending has increased, mainly social spending, the deficit has increased and we’re paying more for our debts. It is difficult to make a good judgment based on substantive criteria. Second – the role of politicians in the economy has increased, due to nationalization, the PiS government is the first government to bring us back to the PRL. (…) There are incompetent personnel decisions
explained Balcerowicz.
The former leader of Unia Wolności stated that it is necessary to “depoliticize” state-owned enterprises in order to limit the influence of politicians on economic processes in Poland. This, he said, would create a dam on the way to the transition to a socialist economy.
Essentially state property, that is, the power of politicians. And people know – and they are right – that the more power politicians have, the worse it is, and when there is a high concentration of this power, we have socialism. How to depoliticize? Civil shareholding. People can be explained that if power is ultimately in the hands of politicians, then it is bad for them
– explained RMF FM Balcerowicz.
In the context of the immutable proposals of Prof. Leszek Balcerowicz, who proposes to the opposition to focus on reducing the role of the state in the Polish economy and reducing social transfers, the question of the form of privatization also raises . Strategic branches of the national economy should, in his view, be denied any control by the government.
And in the United States, which has the strongest arms sector, does the state own it? NO. This is the answer
answered Prof. Balcerowicz.
Privatization and liquidation! Economist: I would sell Orlen, PGNiG. You have to demonize
The author of “Shock Therapy” from the 1990s also revealed that he would be going to the march organized by Donald Tusk on June 4. He added that he also intends to run in parliamentary elections, but will not reveal who he will vote for for now.
I will certainly vote for the opposition, but I will make myself known publicly as soon as the elections get closer
– he confessed to RMF FM.
Either or
The former president of NBP diagnosed in RMF FM that people need to be explained what the PiS government’s policies of social transfers and social investments are all about and what he believes is behind them. According to him, these expenditures block the possibility of increasing salaries in the state budget and generating state debt. Interestingly, as a liberal Prof. Balcerowicz would like to transfer money from one sector to another, while he himself claimed all his life that such behavior is pointless.
You have to put people before choice. And the choice is this – about PLN 40 billion goes to 500 plus. This PLN 40 billion means that we have more and more debt, more and more interest and we have no salaries for teachers, for example. What are you talking about? An honest, competent politician makes a good diagnosis and presents people with a choice. Every promise made by politicians costs money. You have to show the costs and you have to show: something for something
– said Prof. Leszek Balcerowicz at RMF FM.
It is already known that we have a growing fiscal crisis – not only do we have higher taxes, but because of even more spending, we have an even bigger deficit and rising costs of paying deficits. Whoever rules will not shy away from problems and will not run away from them, because reality will call him to account
– added.
Doubtless
Leszek Balcerowicz commented on the focus of key politicians in Poland on housing policy problems and attempts to solve them. According to Balcerowicz, state interference in the real estate market always ends in socialism, and Donald Tusk’s proposals in this area are intended to attract new voters, but he says they are still wrong.
If one understands by law that the state must finance and distribute housing, then, of course, this formulation is purely socialist
Balcerowicz said.
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In this regard, the economist noted that Donald Tusk, who “bids” on social proposals with the ruling party, does not know his own voters and the environment that is not very favorable for a comprehensive social policy.
Prof. Balcerowicz, as a man who put his name to radical socio-economic changes in the early 1990s, was asked if he found fault with his behavior when he was a member of government and responsible for state finances.
In direction, no. We were a bankrupt country. It was clear that external debt had to be reduced. To reduce external debt, it was necessary to get out of this economy as soon as possible. I believe that if it were possible, the economy should have been depoliticized even faster
– summarized Balcerowicz in RMF FM.
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Source: wPolityce