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Viewing cable 05WARSAW26, Polish Parliament Enacts 2005 Budget with Lower

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
05WARSAW26 2005-01-05 06:21 2011-08-24 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Warsaw
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS  WARSAW 000026 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
Sensitive 
 
STATE FOR EUR/NCE TARA ERATH AND MICHAEL SESSUMS 
USDOC FOR 4232/ITA/MAC/EUR/JBURGESS AND MWILSON 
TREASURY FOR OASIA MATTHEW GAERTNER AND ERIC MEYER 
FRANKFURT FOR TREASURY JIM WALLAR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ECON PREL PL
SUBJECT:  Polish Parliament Enacts 2005 Budget with Lower 
Deficit 
 
Ref: 2004 Warsaw 3343 
 
(U) This cable is sensitive, but unclassified, and NOT for 
Internet distribution. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Just before Christmas, the Polish 
Government completed work on a 2005 budget which has a lower 
deficit for the first time in three years (forecast at 3.7% 
of GDP compared to 4.8% in 2004).  In drafting the 2005 
budget, the GOP built on its success in 2004 in revitalizing 
the privatization program, which enabled the government to 
meet its year-end debt targets.  The 2005 budget expects 
that revenues will increase 8.9%, based on continued strong 
export growth and an increase in investments, while 
expenditures will increase only 1.4% in real terms.  There 
is some concern that the GOP may have difficulty passing 
three fiscal reform measures in parliament expected to save 
$1.45 billion.  Some of these potential losses in savings 
could be made up by increased privatization sales during the 
year.  Market reaction has been positive, lauding the 
government for generally realistic targets.  Although 
upcoming general elections in 2005 will make this year more 
uncertain than last, the 2005 budget will provide a good 
base for the new government in drafting its own financial 
program.  End Summary. 
 
2. (U) On December 23, President Kwasniewski signed the 2005 
budget, completing its enactment.  This budget is noteworthy 
for several reasons.  In addition to paying a full year's 
worth of EU membership dues for the first time, Poland will 
pay up front significant co-financing obligations for 
Structural and Cohesion funds from the budget.  Despite 
these challenges, the GOP reversed the trend of the last 
three years and lowered its budget deficit to 35 billion 
Zloty ($11.29 billion), a significant reduction from 2004's 
deficit target of 45 billion Zloty ($12.23 billion at the 
then-current exchange rate).  This will reduce Poland's 
deficit-to-GDP ratio from 4.8% in 2004 to 3.7% in 2005 on 
track to meet the commitment Poland made in its convergence 
plan to lower this figure to 3% by 2007.  Finally, this 
budget will be the last passed by this parliament, as 
general elections will be held in 2005. 
 
Revenues: 
- - - - - - - 
 
3. (U) The 2005 budget forecasts that revenues of 174.7 
billion Zloty ($56.35 billion) and expenditures of 209.7 
billion Zloty ($67.65 billion), for a deficit of 35 billion 
Zloty ($11.29 billion).  In real terms, revenues are 
expected to increase by 8.9%, while expenditures will grow 
by 1.4%.  The most important sources of revenue will be VAT 
(42%), followed by excise taxes (24%) and Personal Income 
Tax (PIT, 13%).  The government also forecast that it would 
receive 5.7 billion Zloty ($1.84 billion) in privatization 
revenues, a figure the market believes is low. 
 
Planned Budget Revenues (in billions of Zloty; one dollar 
equals 3.1 Zloty) 
 
               2004           2005 budget    Percent change 
 
Total               156.1          174.7          11.9 
Total Taxes         136.8          154.4          12.8 
(of which) 
VAT            63.5      73.0      14.9 
Excise              37.2      43.0      15.6 
Lottery Tax         0.8         0.9          12.5 
PIT            22.1      23.5       6.3 
CIT            13.2      14.7      11.4 
Non-tax 
Revenues       16.9      16.5      -2.4 
(of which) 
Dividends      1.3         1.0          -23.0 
NBP profits         4.0         4.6          15.0 
Customs Duties      2.2         1.5          -25.0 
Budget Unit 
Revenues       7.6         7.6          - 
Local Gov 
Payments       1.2         1.2          - 
EU budget 
Support        2.3         2.7          17.4 
 
Expenditures 
 
 
- - - - - - - - 
 
4. (U) Overall expenditures are set to increase 1.4% in real 
terms. The sectors that will see the biggest increases 
include information technology, defense, justice and 
education. Overall spending on defense will increase by more 
than 11% in nominal terms, in part reflecting Poland's 
participation in NATO modernization, in part reflecting a 
reclassification of budget items to include spending under 
defense which had previously been listed in the education 
and cultural sectors of the budget.   This budget calls for 
a one percent nominal increase in social expenditures (a 
1.9% decrease when inflation is factored in) to 63.5 billion 
Zloty ($20.48 billion).  Roughly half of this amount will be 
transferred as subsidies to the Farmers Social Security 
System (KRUS, 14.2 billion Zloty, $4.58 billion) and the 
General Social Security Fund (FUS, 18.6 billion Zloty, $6 
billion).  There is a 12% decrease in real terms on 
infrastructure spending, reflecting expected EU assistance. 
 
Main items of budgetary spending: 
(in billions of Zlotys) 
               2004 budget    2005 budget    Percent change 
 
Total               199.9          209.7          4.4 
(of which) 
Agriculture         3.1       2.6       -17.6 
Forestry       0.04      0.03      -18.3 
Fishery             0.033          0.026          -19.3 
Mining              2.1       1.7       -18.9 
Industry       0.33      0.25      -24.3 
Trade               0.92      0.73      -20.6 
Hotels/ 
Restaurants         0.02      0.02      - 
Transport/ 
Communications 5.0       4.1       -18.2 
Tourism        0.04      0.03      -11.7 
Housing        1.6       1.4       -11.0 
Services       0.6       0.4       -34.7 
Info Tech      0.15      0.2       27.4 
Science        2.9       2.9       - 
Public Admin        7.8       7.7       -1.4 
Admin Organs        1.6       1.9       15.0 
Defense        11.3      12.6      11.4 
Social Security     46.0      43.0      -6.6 
Public Security     8.7       9.0       3.0 
Justice             6.4       7.0       9.9 
Debt Service        26.8      27.4      2.4 
Various 
Settlements         42.9      49.4      15.0 
Education      1.1       1.3       18.3 
Higher Education    8.9       9.6       7.6 
Health care         3.6       3.7       1.9 
Social Welfare      10.4      11.4      9.7 
Other social 
Policy items        5.3       8.0       49.6 
 
A Question of Assumptions: 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
5. (U) In preparing the budget, the Finance Ministry assumes 
that inflation will average 3.0% in 2005, and that economic 
growth will average 5%, both of which the markets regard as 
reasonable projections.  Parliament arbitrarily increased 
the expectations for excise tax revenue by 800 million Zloty 
to justify increased spending on several pet projects. 
Market analysts are not sure the government will be able to 
raise this amount from excise.  In constructing its 
expenditure plans, the government also assumed that 
parliament would pass three reform bills as part of the 
Hausner plan: a bill reforming the Social Security Fund 
(FUS), saving 200 million Zloty; a bill increasing social 
security contributions from larger companies, increasing 
revenues by 1.6 billion Zloty; and a bill reforming the 
Agricultural Social Security System (KRUS), saving 1.7 
billion Zloty.  Finally, parliament passed a bill 
reinstating a 50% Personal Income Tax rate on the richest 
Poles over the government's objections, which parliament 
expects will raise 250 million Zloty.  The GOP has dragged 
its feet about implementing the bill, raising serious 
questions about whether it will generate any revenue.  Taken 
together, these shortfalls total 4.5 billion Zloty ($1.45 
billion). 
 
 
Macroeconomic assumptions: 
                         2004      2005 
 
GDP, billion Zlotys           884.0          952.6 
GDP growth %             5.7       5.0 
Domestic demand growth %      4.7       5.1 
CPI year end %           4.0       2.8 
CPI average %                 3.4       3.0 
Unemployment rate %      19.3      18.2 
PLN/USD, average              3.75      3.68 
PLN/EUR, average              4.6       4.42 
Current account deficit, % of GDP  1.6       2.2 
 
 
Debt Levels: 
- - - - - - - - - 
 
6. (U) The budget forecasts debt-to-GDP will be at 48.2% 
(using ESA-95 methodology) by the end of 2005, under the 50% 
level at which the constitution begins to impose 
restrictions.  Government debt is expected to dip just below 
51% at the end of 2004, a slight reduction from the 2003 
total of 51.6%.  In the budget, the government forecasts 
that its budget deficit will be 3.7% of GDP in 2005, which 
will decline to 3.1% in 2006 and 2.7% in 2007, on track to 
meet the important Maastricht criteria of 3.0% deficit-GDP 
ratio. 
 
7. (SBU) Some analysts see financing of the deficit as the 
weakest link in the 2005 budget. The net government 
borrowing requirement is 46.5 billion Zloty, a slight 
decline from 2004's requirement of 50.8 billion Zloty. The 
Ministry of Finance has created some room for maneuver for 
itself by planning on borrowing more than the expected 
decrease in the deficit would imply.  This is intended to 
leave room in case the government receives less money from 
privatization than planned, has to pay more than planned for 
pre-financing EU assistance and/or in case it has to extend 
emergency loans to local health care units.  There may also 
be some positive carryover from the 2004 budget if the final 
deficit is lower than has been assumed in the 2005 budget 
(the 2005 budget forecasts that the final 2004 deficit will 
be 1.6 billion Zloty lower than expected, while market 
analysts have concluded it could be up to 4 billion Zloty 
lower).  Finally, the GOP may also have created some wiggle 
room by using a conservative Zloty/dollar exchange rate 
forecast of 3.68 for 2005.  Should the average exchange rate 
for the year be closer to today's rate of 3.1, the GOP could 
save up to one billion dollars in debt service costs. 
 
Comment: 
- - - - - - - 
 
8. (SBU) Financial markets are very pleased with this 
budget.  The government has continued the trend begun in 
2004 of increasing transparency, with fewer items off-budget 
and based on sober projections for growth and income. In 
drafting this budget, the GOP faced several challenges.  The 
GOP managed to lower the budget deficit for the first time 
in three years despite the fact that Poland will have to pay 
its first full year of dues to the EU, and pay up front its 
contribution to EU Structural and Cohesion Funds.  This feat 
is all the more remarkable considering that it was done by a 
technocratic government with low levels of popular support 
and that general elections are expected in the summer or 
fall of 2005.  The revival of privatization is a big part of 
the story.  For the first time since 2000, the Finance 
Ministry did not have to make up shortfalls in revenue late 
in the year, allowing the government to meet its debt 
targets.  Despite being largely written off by market 
analysts, the government intends to campaign for important 
structural reforms to the social security systems, which 
will be important if Poland is to meet its target of 
adopting the Euro by 2009.  At the very least, the pressure 
to enact fiscal reforms is expected to mute parliament's 
inclination to pursue populist spending programs in advance 
of the general elections.  Regardless of the outcome of 
elections, the 2005 budget will provide a good base for the 
new government to begin work on its financial program. 
 
Ashe