The new tax will hit households hard. The government will pay out a special voucher.

• The government is working on solutions to compensate for the increase in energy costs following the introduction of the new ETS2 carbon dioxide emission fee.
• One idea is an energy voucher that would only be available to seniors with the lowest incomes.
• The benefit will amount to an average of PLN 1,200 per year and will be paid quarterly - PLN 300 every three months for five years.

The government is working on solutions to offset the rise in energy costs following the introduction of the new EU ETS2 carbon dioxide emissions tax, which will also be imposed on households. This is known as the heating tax.

ETS2 will come into effect in 2027 and will lead to an increase in coal and gas heating prices, significantly burdening the budgets of the poorest , including the elderly. The Polish government, which opposes this EU levy, has decided to offer an energy voucher to the poorest retirees and pensioners, which will cover part of their heating costs .

The qualification mechanism will be based on:

• income criterion,
• century,
• living in a building with an individual energy source fired with fossil fuels.

This solution is intended to enable more effective support for people who actually need help.

The government is to allocate approximately PLN 24 billion for the energy voucher.

The benefit will average PLN 1,200 per year and will be paid quarterly – PLN 300 every three months for five years. As reported by Globenergia.pl, this time, the protective support will cover only the poorest seniors, meaning women over 60 and men over 65, whose gross income does not exceed PLN 2,525.

The Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) will handle the payment of the energy voucher. Seniors would submit applications there, but the application process will likely open closer to 2027.

Globenergia.pl reports that limiting the program's target group to seniors is controversial. " Single parents , for example, are omitted, but this is due to the government's limited financial resources," we read.

According to the authorities, given the current state of public finances, it is impossible to expand the program's target group. Therefore, they decided to focus on those most in need, who would have the greatest difficulty covering the costs of the new carbon tax . However, doubts remain as to whether the voucher amount will be sufficient given rapidly rising prices.