Poland weighs sharp increase in criminal fine rates
A Polish government proposal would raise the minimum daily fine rate tenfold and the maximum fivefold. Officials said the adjustment was intended to reflect the present value of money.
Poland’s cabinet considered amendments to the Criminal Code at its November 3 meeting, focusing on the daily rates used to calculate fines in criminal cases. inPoland.net.pl reported the plan on Thursday, November 5.
Under the proposal, the lowest daily rate would rise from 10 zlotys to 100 zlotys, while the ceiling would increase from 2,000 to 10,000 zlotys. Government spokesman Adam Szłapka said the thresholds had remained unchanged since 1998 and no longer matched current economic conditions.
Courts would continue to set the total penalty according to the seriousness of the offence as well as the convicted person’s income and financial position. The draft also called for repealing rules adopted in 2022 that imposed minimum fine levels for specified offences.