BOOZE & CAR TAX TO AID POLAND'S NEEDY?

As part of his anti-crisis plan, PM Donald Tusk wants to add 1 zł of excise tax to a bottle (half-litre) of vodka and 7 groszy to each bottle of beer. Tax on imported cars of over 2000 cc will increase by 5 percentage points.

The 1.3 billion zł (app. $43 million) this is expected to generate will help poor families with many kids and bankroll a free school lunch programme.
One could almost say that the more you booze it up, the more good deeds you will do for Poland's disadvantaged!?

This clown must go...

Very good decision. Cars with engine over 2 liters are dangerous for our energetic safty and bad for our natural enviroment (global warming). Wódka ... no comment

I always knew that :)

But perhaps if he lowered the tax on Vodka it would help poor families with many kids?

Buy your petrol in Lithuania it is 33% cheaper, YYYYeeeeepppyyy!!!

I wholeheartedly support the plan. The needy people need our help. I am glad I will be able to help out too, because I drink one bottle of vodka per year.

The problem is that I already drive 2.8 litre car and am not going to change it for the next few years. Or should I change it???

I believe soemone already owning a 2000+ car will not be taxed. Only those pruchasing one at present.

That is why teachers are going to lose some of their privileges. :)


Yes

Does it apply to English teachers too?

In public schools ... yes :)

Anyone want to buy my 7.5 litre range rover.....?

There's a market for those in Venezuela. I read something about a guy here in the USA who has a thriving business exporting used SUVs to that country as gas is so cheap there and SUVs are considered a status symbol there :-)

Its converted to lpg , so only uses the same amount of fuel...as a Ferarri.......

I am not sure about this. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity. Also, who can ever be sure how much of those revenues ever actually get to where they are intended. Typically, bureaucratic overhead, waste, etc, all typical of government will consume a good portion of these revenues long before a single zł ever sees a needy persons hands. A good alternative might be to lower taxes on small and medium sized business provided they increase employment targets. Also, tax incentives for companies who are hiring/expanding is a good idea, as long as they maintain various employment targets. The working spend money, broaden the existing tax base as unemployment drops (thereby increasing overall taxation revenues) and are a much more attractive alternative to just driving up taxes anytime that the government needs some flow for some thing or other. Granted there is always going to be some people who slip through the cracks and these people need assistance; I just figure that it is a more productive to get as many of those needy working. As I said, the more that work, the more that pay tax i.e. a larger tax base, the more that is available for those truly in need, all without raising taxes if possible. Just my two cents.

mróz

Tusk's Solidarity roots are betraying him with this particular policy - 2zł on a litre bottle of vodka?!

As for free school lunches - tut tut, they're not what I'd expect from a Thatcherite party!

I think you're missing a zero after the 3 > $430 mil

I think it's a good idea. People will soon forget about the extra 1/2 zl. It's like with cigarettes in the usa - they tax the bejesus out of them yet people continue to purhcase cigs.

As for the school lunch program, do any other european countries have this? Does it work well? Decent food?

In the UK low income or no income families get free school dinners, it works fine the supposedly needy sell their dinner tickets at half the price and they buy fags with the money :) are the dinners okay? if you like chips chips and more chips oh and a burger then it's fine, aparently school dinners have had an overhaul but I wouldn't say they are healthy by a long stretch, give a kid a choice between pizza and chips and cottage pie with carrots which one is a kid going to go for?

As for the slight tax increases, it's nothing and at least they have stated what the money is going to be spent on, more than can be said for the British Gov.

Scotland's just voted to introduce it for the first three years of primary education - but as Shelley says, the food is somewhat terrible.

Out of interest, how is this policy going to work when (to the best of my knowledge!) many Polish schools don't have kitchens?

There are catering firms, at least in big cities. I don`t know about rural areas but the schools there have their kitchens on the premises....

Correct.

You've got to be kidding me.

What about the boozer's rights? It's bad enough he's in that condition to begin with. EU trickery.


Wheew.. I'll bet those are tasty. Conjures images of some modern day "Oliver" movie.

What a haphazard justification for ineptitude! What better way to mask alcoholism than to legitimise it? How about the cock tax?

So, potentially, this could be higher taxes just to feed kids cold food at lunchtime, when they traditionally eat an early dinner anyway?

What complete nonsense. Donald, Donald...stay away from your socialist roots!