"Why bother!" - Experiences of life in Poland...

Why bother! I have been in Poland several years and have great respect for the people of Poland but the politicians and bureaucrats are a completely different matter.

I have been trying to register my car and have just had to pay akcyza of 274zl which is 3.1% based on the original purchase value of the car 4 years ago. Poland must be the only place in the world where 1. you have to pay tax on your on previously owned 16 year old car and 2. the value of the car hasn't depreciated in 4 years.

With the other problems I have had with Poland I would say that all bureaucrats with very few exceptions are f-u-c-k-i-n-g crooks like the local politicians.

If the politicians think that their greatest export (young people) are going to return to Poland with the monies they have earned abroad they should think again. Who in their right mind would give up security, benefits, houses and cars for all the hassle they get in this country.

Poland was (in my opinion quite rightly) a great nation with much to be proud of. Now I wouldn't recommend opening any business large or small here or even thinking about moving here. Everyone locally thinks I am mad because I intended to stay here. Now I am seriously considering moving my business and family to another country.

There's a fair bit of foundation for this but, depending on which specific business u r in, Poland is booming and attracting a lot of outside investment.

The red tape is diabolical tho. U have to defend ur rights to what is lawfully urs. They have a cheek, paying low salaries and throwing in bureaucratic costs which are prohibitive for many.

I keep saying it, living in Poland on certain salaries is black magic

Unfortunately most of the investment seems to disappear into corruption. It is like doing business with a 3rd World African state. Everybody gets their cut and as long as it doesn't affect their business you can proceed. I know of several local instances where local politicians (with vested interests) have put up so much red tape that quite large businesses have said sod it and gone elsewhere. So much for giving local people a choice for shopping or the benefits of retail competition.

The anal procedure that got me was that for tax rebates. In Scotland, I got money back without question, no formalities, just a straight return.

Here, I have to request my money back from the 'nadczelnik', quite a sizeable sum too. What a farce!! He may not approve my request. I'll go there and stamp his forehead if he is non-complicit. They love protracted proceedings.

My car wa the latest in a list of things.

1st When I was getting married (in the UK) I gave my wife a list of documents that it was necessary for her to bring. The local Dom Dinozaury insisted that she have another document or the wedding would not be allowed to go ahead. Needless to say to avoid any possible problems she paid the 100zl to get the document and then paid another 100zl to have it translated. The same s-h-i-t-h-e-a-d-s then refused to register my name as conjoined with her although it is normal practice for 2 polish people to do this without any problems.

Later when my son was born they only wanted to register him in my name not in joint names until I gave them a translation and the original of my deedpoll from the UK. I seriously wanted to just take my son out of the country and register him in the UK but they told me I wouldn't be allowed to.

The PKO bank were quite happy to open an account for my small business but neglected to mention that you cannot check the balance on your account through the cash machine - just a minor detail for someone who has had accounts in several foreign countries and never heard such b-sh*t!

Seriously we were better looked after by the systems in France than we are in Poland and neither of us has any prior connection with France. Poland is a joke!

They have so many hidden charges in banks. My bank charges me 5zł to withdraw my own money. That's about 2 pounds in real terms. WTF?

These compulsory ZUS payments are also stupid. Well, I have no objection to paying the społeczne part as it is social security. I have a healthcare document but I still have to pay 200zł a month, for nothing.

What's even worse is, when I finish my 5th year of working in Poland, 5 years of working gives me 6 months towards my pension/retirement. What's the point?

Time to get out methinks!!

I am lucky(?) that I worked in the UK for many years before coming to Poland - I was told that I only have to pay another 7 years subs and I will be entitled to a full UK pension - currently 87 pounds a week. Not bad over 400zl for nothing that compares to a polish basic of 600 per month! When I retire in 20 years that 87 will probably be more like 100 or even more. Poland doesn't even admit to inflation! They just pay politicians more and have you seen the ZUS employees cars outside the office? Not too many maluchs among that lot. Now you know why pensions and benefits are sh*t!

No, they are sharks. Those cars are probably on long-term loans tho.

I've always wanted to go in there with an airhorn and create chaos. They are so stiff and pedantic

ttfn must prep or will have no work tomorrow! Will watch this space later.

Ah well, there's always the 30% tax rate to look forward to ;)

You may wish to add real estate salesman, you can bribe anyone in Poland to get something. Its a question of name the price and let some sucker get sucked in.

You guys have been lucky living in UK.


How about 13% of the current market value of the car? The government decides what that is.


They may be realizing that, so they charge the taxes. It's not like someone will invest in Poland because vehicle registration might be free.


The procedure in Canada is straight too. Either pay $50 (or much more) to have a tax return filed, or do it yourself. Tax law is more complicated in Canada than quantum physics.


These aren't hidden charges. And, didn't you ask about terms of service before opening an account?


Not sure how it works now in Poland. Is that healthcare document for free? I have one in Ontario too. Depending on the income level you have to pay anywhere from $0 a couple thousand$ a year in addition to your income regular taxes.


Lucky you. In Canada and the US few hope to get any retirement money at all. And yes, they do deduct social security money nevertheless.


I wish my taxes went down to 30%.

Similar situation in the UK, at the moment a state pension is £90.40 per week and if you think that the average outgoings for food and utilities (lets not even think about mortgages and incidental living expenses) is about £400 per month at a bear minimum living on the bread line...its not exactly brilliant, considering the amount you pay in over about 45 years.

They say it's all 'cause there will be more geezers in the years to come, and less younger folks to pay for them. The young ones are not making enough kids to pay for the geezers of the future. An alternative is increased immigration, which might (just might) bite people back in the butt too.

Some young ones are making enough, asians and africans seem to produce at a right old rate...and therein the problem lies! Immigration is causing the collapse of our once smoothly running maternity wards in the UK...google 'maternity wards UK' and you will see what I mean....open the doors by all means but ensure you let the right people in.

Lucky you. I've been trying to get my new laptop past the Warsaw customs office for the last five weeks. Yesterday I went there to give them yet more paperwork, pay the tax and get the laptop. They told me that their computer system was down and I should come back in two hours. So I took two more hours off work and waited. After two hours they told me that the computer system was still down and wouldn't be back up for two days. I pointed out that they had all the paperwork and knew exactly how much tax I needed to pay (658zl), so why didn't I just pay the tax now and sign a blank form which they could print up later? No chance. They just said that they'd post me the parcel when they had the computers working again. A particularly fine joke considering that all the postal workers are currently on strike.

Instead of waiting another week or two, I've just ordered myself an identical computer which is being shipped via the UK. Because it's coming from the UK there is no tax on it when it comes in to Poland. I'm happy because I get my computer faster and at a slightly lower price (UK VAT is 17.5% rather than the 22% here and that difference covers the extra shipping cost). The UK taxman is happy because he has got the import duty on the computer. The Polish taxman employs f*cktarded morons so screw him.

The English taxman also employs f*cktarded morons.

HOWEVER, it is worth remembering that the chances of f*cktarded morons being employed by the English taxman not actually being English are considerably higher than f*cktarded morons employed by the Polish taxman not actually being Polish.

In fact we can say that whilst f*cktarded morons employed by the English taxman may be Polish, we can say that f*cktarded morons employed by the Polish taxman are almost certainly not English.

The latest good news from the Eastern Front is that our czynsz has gone up 10% and our wonderful (c*nt) polish landlord has put up our rent 60% without any security of tenency and they know we have a young baby.

It looks like decisions are being made for us and Poland is f*cked. We are now looking at returning to the UK. And no I don't give a **** about poles living there. If they are so proud of their country they ought to get off their arses and get back here try to sort out the sh*t that their country has become.

I have been watching a TV program about the police in the UK and the wonderful kit they have. If the lazy b*stards here were to do something to catch crims they could have some really good kit too but all they want to do is pose in their new flash cars. They might just as well still have Polonez's for all the use they are.

it would be illegal, better check your legal rights, that is unless you're renting without contract

prawo.gazetaprawna.pl/porady/17746,jak-lokator-moze-sie-bronic-przed-wysoka-podwyzka-czynszu.html

Again a sign of greed. We are seeing it across the board with rental properties priced sky high and sitting there empty.

Move.

Let him have an empty flat to deal with that he has priced too high to rent. Teach the greed fuker about supply and demand.

Mad_one are you by any chance the Giles who was on this forum. :<)))

Giles owns his own property and rents a shop from BubbaWoo who is an English landlord and charges a below market value rent for the property

Sorry - not Giles

It looks like Poland will be soon free of one stinking pieace of s*hit spoiling the air, you f. retard don't even know how to operate a bank account, take your stupid bit*ch and go back to the land of left side driving twats.

Goodbye Grzegorz and don't bother coming to the UK. You won't receive a warm welcome!

And for your information my stupid ***** is a stupid polish *****! Glad to see there are still a few useless c*nts left here!

booba :) you still here our wanker :)

you're obviously here cos someone is saying bad things about Poland and it's all lies! ha ha...

Bye wanker...

hello to all, well glad to see that car tax for registration isno different than spain,imported a car and had to pay the registration tax, newplates, car documention, ended by paying a further 1500 euros for the car, no way out of it.

so you see Poland is not the only f...k system and taxing all to the hilt.

as we all know petrol is high , full of taxes, spain for diesel !.38eur green 1.19 and climbing ,gas stations stop putting the price now as it changes almost daily.

The tax/government just take with tax on everything and as for rocketing rents well guess the properties will just remain empty unlessthe polish government like the spanish gov give landlords tax incentives to rent the out at a good rent.

nope, same in the USA. any sale means there is a tax associated with it.


yes, the right people.. hmmm


the demand the price and you better supply, that's all they know. the other doesn't matter for some reason.


lots of black magic in PL.