The Polish government and Roman Catholic Church representatives on Thursday said they had reached a "working compromise" on a 0.5% tax write-off to replace state funding for priests, Administration and Digitalization Minister Michal Boni at a press conference with Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz, a senior figure in the Polish episcopate.

Under the new scheme, Poles will be able to donate 0.5% of their income tax to a church or religious denomination of their choice.
The deduction will replace a part of some 89 million zloty annual state subsidy received now by religious institutions to cover the health insurance and pensions of clerics.

The new solution is to take effect as of 2014.

“I hope that this 'working compromise' will be accepted by the government and the Episcopate,” Boni said.