Polish president OKs tax exemptions for under-26s
Polish president OKs tax exemptions for under-26s

Poland’s president has signed into law a plan by the country’s governing conservatives to make people under 26 exempt from paying personal income tax.

Andrzej Duda greenlighted the measure on Wednesday after it was overwhelmingly approved by both houses of parliament this month.

It is estimated that more than 2 million young people will benefit from the new tax rules, which are expected to kick in on August 1, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last month that the move aimed to encourage young people to stay in Poland and to improve their prospects.

Many young Poles left abroad in search of better-paid jobs as Western labor markets opened up to them after the country joined the European Union in 2004.

The change in tax rules is part of a string of ambitious spending pledges announced by Poland’s conservative government earlier this year.