The opposition aims to back away from its election pledges and justify the shift by reshaping the numbers. This is the impression conveyed by a Prime Minister who spoke in an interview published on a recent Saturday, noting the visible panic in their eyes and the use of tactics reminiscent of a notorious press figure from decades past.
Among the topics discussed were the slide in tax revenues and the growing burden of foreign government debt payments.
Tax revenue growth, even with the protective measures, corporate tax cuts, and income tax reductions that have been introduced, is not as dynamic as hoped. Yet there is a call to hold the government accountable for eight years of policy choices and their outcomes.
He pointed out that government revenues to the state budget increased significantly under his party, aided by tax reductions totaling nearly PLN 60 billion. That figure represented a claimed rise of about 115 percent. The Prime Minister challenged listeners to name another country that could double its budget with such a tax cut and contrasted this with what he described as the poor record of the prior government. He cited a 12 percent increase under the previous administration, attributing this to mismanagement and a resulting large budget deficit, according to Eurostat data.
As explained, the cost of servicing debt has risen, driven by the pandemic, inflation, the war in Ukraine, and broader geopolitical risks. He acknowledged that the costs are rising but argued they are not the result of the current government’s economic policies, noting that similar trends are seen in neighboring and regional economies such as the Czech Republic, Italy, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, and Slovakia.
When asked to respond to Ludwik Kotecki’s analysis published on Money.pl, which described the country as facing a record budget deficit and borrowing needs, the Prime Minister labeled the characterization as demagoguery. He defended Kotecki’s market insight, noting that the European Commission monitors every zloty and that nothing hides from financial markets. He argued that using nominal values can distort the picture and insisted that only percentage terms reveal the true state of public finances. He asserted that the national debt to GDP ratio has fallen during the eight-year period and urged readers to view the data in black and white to see a measurable improvement.
He further stated that the deficit reported to Brussels is above four percent of GDP, and that military spending is a large share of GDP. He argued that excluding this essential expenditure would present a near-balanced budget, a point he used to justify the current fiscal stance.
Responding to questions about alleged expenditures outside the state budget, he noted that those voicing such claims belong to the opposition or the propaganda sphere and that repeating a falsehood does not make it true. He reaffirmed that the country is leaving public finances in solid condition, emphasizing that the European Commission and financial markets recognize this reality. He said that anyone with even a modest interest understands that debt cannot be hidden, and that the markets have remained calm because they have seen coherent budgetary and financial policies in use. The opposition, he suggested, pushed back in anger at the improvement while overlooking their own past shortcomings.
In a recurring theme, he argued that the main goal of the opposition is to abandon its election promises and rationalize that decision by juggling numbers. The upcoming period would reveal that some measures promised to voters will not be implemented, including requests for increasing the tax-free allowance, introducing a voluntary social security contribution, expanding to social programs, or offering zero percent loans. He characterized these as election fraud that society would monitor, explaining the visible anxiety in the opposition and the use of provocative tactics from a controversial figure in the media landscape.
The interview concluded with a note that another political figure may take a leadership role to oversee the review of various announcements during the election period, signaling a potential shift in the broader strategy. The overall assessment suggests that the public should remain attentive to how pledges translate into policy and how numbers are presented in the public debate.
Source: wPolityce