WARSAW (Reuters) – The Polish government will increase monthly child benefit payments to 800 zlotys ($193.13) per child from 500 zlotys, taking effect from the start of 2024, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS), Jaroslaw Kaczynski, said on Sunday.
The family support program called “Family 500 plus” is a flagship project of the ruling Law and Justice party, which was introduced in 2016.
“… from the new year, 500 plus will be 800 plus,” Kaczynski said during an election convention before the parliamentary elections, which will take place in the fall.
Child benefit payments currently cost the state budget over 40 billion zlotys a year, and according to the data of the family ministries, are distributed to about 7 million children.
Kaczynski announced that free medicines will be available to people over 65 and those under 18.
He added that the government also plans to abolish tolls on state-owned national highways.
($1 = 4.1422 zlotys)
(Reported by Pawel Florkiewicz and Karol Badohal; Editing by David Goodman and Christina Fincher)
