Rising social security contributions and taxes are tightening financial pressures on households and businesses across Europe, with Poland and Spain announcing sharp increases for 2027.

In Poland, a draft budget law ties social security contributions to the projected national average salary of 10,033 zł brutto in 2027, pushing up costs for entrepreneurs. The so-called "big ZUS" contribution, based on 60% of the average wage, will rise to 6,019.80 zł monthly, with full social contributions—including voluntary sickness insurance and the Labor Fund—reaching 2,052.15 zł, a 125 zł increase from 2026. Adding the mandatory health contribution of 445.50 zł, entrepreneurs will pay at least 2,497.65 zł monthly, or nearly 30,000 zł annually. New businesses in their first 24 months will see preferential contributions rise to 469.85 zł, with the health fee unchanged at 445.50 zł. Employers will also face higher labor costs, with the minimum wage set at 4,950 zł brutto, raising the cost of hiring a worker on the lowest wage to 5,963.77 zł monthly, a 173.49 zł increase .

In Spain, public frustration is growing over the non-deflation of the IRPF income tax brackets, which, combined with inflation and rising employment, has pushed public revenue to a historic 42.9% of GDP in 2025, up from 40% in 2017-2021. The International Monetary Fund has warned that revenue must continue rising to cover inevitable increases in social spending due to aging populations, including pensions, healthcare, and dependency care .

Poland’s National Health Fund and Social Insurance Fund are projected to collect 666.3 billion zł in contributions in 2025, a 37 billion zł increase from 2024, with the largest shares going to the Social Insurance Fund (428.8 billion zł) and the National Health Fund (194.4 billion zł). The average burden per worker is estimated at over 38,500 zł annually, though experts note the lack of transparency in how these funds are allocated .