icz ▁Plan ▁was ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁re forms , ▁which ▁brought ▁the ▁end ▁to ▁hyper infl ation , ▁dis m ant led ▁in efficient ▁economic ▁structures , ▁and ▁bal anced ▁the ▁national ▁budget . ▁The ▁prices ▁of ▁most ▁consumer ▁goods ▁were ▁fre ed ▁and ▁caps ▁for ▁annual ▁increases ▁established ▁in ▁state - se ctor ▁employees ' ▁w ages . ▁Poland ' s ▁currency , ▁the ▁z ł oty , ▁was ▁made ▁convert ible ▁within ▁the ▁country ' s ▁borders . ▁This ▁resulted ▁in ▁a ▁substantial ▁increase ▁in ▁prices ▁and ▁had ▁forced ▁state - owned ▁companies , ▁while ▁making ▁them ▁econom ically ▁compet itive . ▁This ▁amount ed ▁to ▁a ▁two - year ▁shock ▁to ▁the ▁Polish ▁economy . ▁Among ▁other ▁actions ▁included ▁in ▁the ▁plan ▁was ▁the ▁neg ot iation ▁of ▁a ▁significant ▁reduction ▁( appro xim ately ▁ 5 0 %) ▁of ▁the ▁deb ts ▁inherited ▁from ▁the ▁Polish ▁People ' s ▁Republic . ▁ ▁The ▁sever ity ▁of ▁the ▁re forms ▁was ▁initially ▁controvers ial ▁and ▁made ▁Bal cer ow icz ▁an ▁object ▁of ▁criticism ▁by ▁some ▁polit icians ▁in ▁Poland . ▁On ▁the ▁other ▁hand , ▁many ▁econom ists ▁and ▁exper ts ▁such ▁as ▁Kr z ysz to f ▁Sob cz ak , ▁Jeff rey ▁Sach s , ▁and ▁J ace k ▁Rost owski ▁agree ▁that ▁without ▁introdu cing ▁such ▁radical ▁changes , ▁Poland ' s ▁economic ▁success ▁and ▁steady ▁economic ▁growth ▁would ▁not ▁have ▁been ▁possible . ▁Since ▁ 1 9 9 1 , ▁Poland ' s ▁annual ▁growth