In January 2025, president of Warsaw and Citizen Coalition candidate for President, Rafał Trzaskowski, proposed that the 800 plus benefit be paid only to those Ukrainian citizens who live, work and pay taxes in Poland. This announcement caused large emotion among experts and politicians.
Prof. Joanna Senyszyn, an economist and erstwhile SLD MP, commented on this proposal as a "freak". According to her, if we take the Ukrainians a benefit of 800 plus, they can start leaving Poland, which can origin problems with employees and increase the budget gap. Prof. Senyszyn stressed that working Ukrainians contribute almost PLN 20 billion annually to the budget and to the NFZ in the form of various taxes and wellness contributions, and little than 3 billion we pay for their children. That's why he says we're 17 billion ahead.
On the another hand, the United Surveys survey for “Virtual Poland” shows that Poles are of a different opinion. As many as 85.9% of respondents agreed that the benefit of 800 plus for Ukrainians should depend on living, working and paying taxes in Poland. Only 8.4 percent of respondents had a different opinion, and 5.7 percent had no opinion on this.
Among the voters of the ruling coalition organization (Citizen's Coalition, 3rd Road, Left) 58 percent of respondents powerfully support the dependency of the benefit 800 plus on the conditions and 32 percent alternatively support. Against is 9% and 1% have no opinion.
In the case of PiS and Confederate voters, it powerfully supports the dependence on the benefit of 800 plus for Ukrainians 62% of the respondents, and 33% – alternatively "supports" this solution. 5% of those in this group objected to this approach.
Support for the dependency of payments 800 plus for Ukrainians on these conditions is lower among non-essential political groups. In this group, only 22% powerfully support specified a regulation, and 34% alternatively support it. A full of 12% of respondents objected, and 32% have no opinion on this.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland introduced the anticipation for Ukrainians to usage social programs, including benefits 500+ (which in 2024 increased to PLN 800 per child). According to the data, the benefit of 800 plus is paid to over 300 1000 Ukrainian children in Poland.
The debate on providing 800 plus for Ukrainians in Poland shows that this is simply a very complex problem, which requires taking into account various social and economical aspects. On the 1 hand, Poles want the 800 plus benefit to be dependent on living, working and paying taxes in Poland, on the another hand, experts say that this can origin problems with employees and increase the budget gap.
In this situation, politicians and experts must find a solution that takes all aspects of this problem into account. This may require additional investigation and analysis to measure the effects of the introduction of the 800 plus for Ukrainians in Poland.
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Debate on providing 800 plus for Ukrainians in Poland
