- According to the original plans, the funeral allowance was to increase to PLN 7,000. An indexation increase was to be added to the amount every year
- In special cases, it was supposed to be possible to obtain an additional PLN 2,000
- At the stage of inter-ministerial consultations, the Ministry of Finance did not consent to such a solution
- There will be neither PLN 7,000 nor annual indexation
It seems that the pompous announcements regarding the increase in the funeral allowance will remain an empty promise. The benefit will increase, but by PLN 7,000 and annual indexation, for now we can only dream. It's all because of the Ministry of Finance, which clearly says – we cannot afford such expenses. Currently, the draft changes are at the stage of final opinions before being adopted by the government.
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The funeral allowance will increase to PLN 9,000. First raise in 13 years!
The Ministry of Finance does not agree to the increase
The rising costs of funeral services have sparked discussions about the amount of benefits for several years. Before the pandemic, there was even an idea of linking the funeral allowance with the minimum wage, e.g. minimum wage or 175 percent minimum wage or the equivalent of average wage. However, the plans came to nothing.
The Ministry of Finance proposes an increase in the funeral allowance to PLN 6,450 from PLN 4,000. PLN currently, without an indexation mechanism – writes the Ministry of Finance in its opinion on the draft law. – The limited expenditure space of the state budget and the need to maintain the stability of public finances should be taken into account, taking into account the limitations contained in the provisions of national and EU law. It should be borne in mind that the proposed changes increase the level of fixed expenditure of the general government sector. The increase in the share of fixed expenses has a negative impact on the flexibility of fiscal policy and may cause tensions in the construction of the state budget in the future, he adds. – Therefore, the recommended solution is to adopt the amount of funeral allowance corresponding to PLN 6,450 without the indexation mechanism.
However, this is not the last word of the Ministry of Finance. The bill provided for the combination of a funeral allowance (PLN 7,000) with a special-purpose allowance (PLN 2,000), which was to be paid to a person who had already received a funeral allowance of PLN 7,000, but the funeral costs turned out to be higher.
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There will be no special supplement either
However, the bill conditioned this with a provision that states that these only include "extraordinary, difficult to predict, and impossible to cover costs from the funeral allowance." This includes, for example, the transport of bodies from abroad. As emphasized in the project, the high valuation of the funeral by the company providing funeral organization services will not be a specific cost.
You cannot apply for a specific benefit because the family received an invoice from a funeral company for PLN 15,000 for a typical funeral, but conducted in an impressive manner. This is not an "extraordinary" expense, it was argued.
However, all these provisions did not convince the ministry responsible for finance.
In the opinion of the Ministry of Finance, the proposed solution is not justified due to the burden of additional costs on local government units – concluded the Ministry of Finance.
