WARSAW, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The lower house of the Polish parliament, known as Sejm, on Friday passed the 2025 budget, with bigger portion going to defense spending.
The budget projects revenues of 632.6 billion Polish zlotys (about 156.5 billion U.S. dollars) and expenditures capped at 921.6 billion Polish zlotys, resulting a maximum deficit of 289 billion Polish zlotys.
Polish Minister of Finance Andrzej Domanski praised the budget before the vote, saying it reflects a time of economic acceleration and declining inflation, and the restoration of public finances. He described it as a "budget of security, investment and support for citizens."
A significant portion of the budget - 187 billion Polish zlotys - will be allocated for defence in 2025, which equates to 4.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), an increase from 4.2 percent this year. This makes Poland a leading nation within NATO and the European Union in defense spending.
The 2025 budget is based on a projected GDP growth of 3.9 percent and an average annual inflation of 5 percent.
It forecasts a salary increase of 7 percent for the next year and allocates 221.7 billion Polish zlotys for health care, including the National Health Fund.
The budget was approved with 232 votes in favor, 207 against, and 3 abstentions. It will proceed to the Senate for further deliberation. (1 Polish zlotys = 0.25 U.S. dollar)
