"There no longer exist any areas from which we could quickly cut expenses," said Michał Boni, chief economic adviser to the prime minister.

In his opinion, now is the time for the government to decide whether it's enough to focus on savings, discipline and tougher management, or whether it's time to raise taxes and public pension contributions.

The news has economists outraged. "It's terrible to see the government start the discussion around raising taxes, when, in earnest, it has not done much to cut its own expenses," says Marcin Mrowiec, chief economist at Pekao bank.

Poland AM