The past 12 months have been an intense time in the Village. In 2018. Sejm passed a number of laws important for Poles. Below is a month-by-month summary of the changes of significant legislation

January

The House began 2018 by passing a law important for local communities. The Sejm decided to extend the term of office of local authorities from four to five years and decided that a mayor or town mayor will not be able to hold office for more than two terms. The MPs also strengthened the role of local civic budgets and increased social control over the activities of local authorities.

Employees of retail establishments will spend Sundays with their loved ones instead of at work - in January the Parliament passed a civic bill limiting trade on holidays.

In turn, thanks to the provisions of the Act on Electromobility and Alternative Fuels, we will breathe cleaner air. The Act comprehensively defines the principles of deployment of appropriate infrastructure. Drivers of electric vehicles received a number of rights and benefits from the Parliament, while municipalities gained the right to create clean transport zones on their territory

February

Among other things, MPs decided to regulate and reduce the cost of bailiffs' enforcement.

The Sejm also made an important decision to strengthen the friendly relations with Hungary - it passed a law on establishing the Wacław Felczak Institute for Polish-Hungarian Cooperation.

March

It was definitely a good month for entrepreneurs - small and medium ones as well as the biggest ones. The Sejm passed a package of laws creating the so-called business constitution. The House adopted, among others, the Act on Entrepreneurs, thanks to which the constitutional principle of freedom of business activity will be more clearly felt by entrepreneurs. Thanks to the parliamentary act, micro-, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs have their own ombudsman. He will guard their rights.

April

A driver who in a state of emergency (e.g. saving someone's life) exceeds the speed limit by more than 50 km/h in a built-up area will not have to automatically say goodbye to his/her driver's license for three months.

May

People with disabilities and their carers are the target of two laws passed in May. The Parliament decided to increase the social pension to which they are entitled and granted special rights in access to health care services, pharmaceutical services and medical products to people with severe disabilities.

This month, the House also laid the legal groundwork for the smooth and expeditious construction of the Central Transportation Port.

Thanks to decisions made by the Sejm in May, drivers will no longer have to carry the registration certificate and proof of civil liability insurance. All data will be available to the police officer carrying out the roadside check.

June

In the middle of the year the Seym adopted another solution to help in the fight for clean air. The MPs decided to establish a Low Emission Transport Fund. It will be another instrument to support electromobility policy in Poland - among others, it will financially support development of natural gas, liquid biofuels and other alternative fuels refuelling and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

July - August

The Sejm passed and the President signed a number of particularly important laws.

The academic community received the so-called Constitution for Science. The new law on higher education and science, comprehensively regulating this area of life.

In July, the Sejm also passed legislation important for the implementation of the Mieszkanie Plus program. The MPs reduced the legal impediments faced by investors building apartments, and also decided that the state would financially support people with low incomes renting their first independent apartment.

The House also decided that millions of Poles who own real estate will obtain the right to ownership of the land on which their apartments or houses stand, and which until now they had only had perpetual usufruct.

The parliament, concerned about the safety and health of Poles, has made it easier for the relevant services to fight the so-called "legal highs", making them legally equal to drugs.

September

In September, MEPs addressed, among others, the fate of veterans of operations outside the country's borders. Soldiers and officers serving in Poland outside its territory will find it easier to obtain the status of veterans and the rights they are entitled to.

October

In autumn, the Polish Parliament introduced groundbreaking changes in the pension system. Thanks to employee share ownership plans, each employee, with the support of the employer and the state, will be able to set aside additional funds to secure their future at retirement age.

MPs have also once again taken care of disabled people. They will receive social, vocational or health support from the Disabled Persons Solidarity Fund created by the law.

All taxpayers paying PIT will benefit from the changes in the PIT law. The tax returns will be filled out for them by the office. The obligation to file PIT every year will disappear. A taxpayer who does not exercise the right to fill in the form by hand and does not submit it to the office will not be punished. The office will consider the statement filled in by the taxpayer as valid and submitted.

Small companies will pay less CIT. In October, the Sejm decided to lower their rate to 9 percent.

The MPs have also decided to create a Local Government Roads Fund. Thanks to this law local authorities will be able to receive funds for repair and development of road infrastructure.

November

In November, the House adopted further solutions aimed at reducing air pollution. It will be helped, among others, by the thermomodernization relief, i.e. support for persons resigning from the most harmful methods of heating homes.

December

Thanks to the amendment to the Act on identity cards, each document of this type will have the so-called electronic layer. The e-card will enable electronic identification of the holder, confirmation of his/her presence and electronic signature.

Thanks to the decisions of the House at the last session in 2018, Poles need not fear electricity price increases. Among other things, the Sejm decided to reduce excise duty on electricity and to compensate companies that sell electricity to businesses and local governments.