Achilles
15 Dec 2006 / #1
Where is it easier to live: in Poland or in England?
Possibly, as many as two million people have left Poland for economic and social reasons. Either they saw no chance of employment or if employed no chance of proper remuneration. In Britain, where many Poles have settled, the gross average wage is approximately 2200 pounds per month. In Poland the average net wage is perhaps 1900 złoty. In Poland there is also the phenomenon of the unemployed, who have no entitlement even to unemployment benefit or even to be counted. Clearly earnings in Britain are five times higher than in Poland.
When the costs of living in Britain and Poland are compared, services such as water, gas, electricity and telephones cost the same and petrol only cost a little more in Britain than in Poland. Food costs only twice as much in London than it does in Poland. Housing and accommodation is expensive in Britain but probably is no more expensive than in Poland, when one relates it to the wages in Britain.
It is also easier to live in Britain. In Britain officials actually try to be helpful. The tax system is relatively simple. The medical and social services, while not perfect, normally operate in an integrated comprehensive and competent manner. This is economically significant as it saves so much time and a tremendous amount of stress. In Poland the tax department is generally as awkward as possible and with a mixture of labyrinthine procedures, incompetence and viciousness contrives to make life as difficult as possible for employee and entrepreneur alike. As if this were not enough the compulsory social security system is even more inefficient and ineffective, apparently nobody, not even they can account for where the money goes. The social security system in Poland is a major barrier to the development of self-employed private business, because the statutory obligatory contributions prevent many people from starting modest business activities. Curiously, it is significant where one lives in Poland, because the individual district tax offices and social security offices all have their own interpretations of the regulations. Some district tax offices have almost succeeded in eliminating business from their districts; it makes life so much easier for them.
In Britain one undoubtedly has more surplus money for saving and for pleasure. In Britain one also has time for pleasure and relaxation because there is far less abuse of employees by employers. In Poland an employee may have a contract that stipulates the number of hours per month, but one finds that generally employers, Poles and foreigners alike, intimidate employees into working twenty-five perhaps even forty per cent more hours. Official Polish statistics declare that unemployment is now falling in Poland, but it frequently takes a graduate two years of strenuous search to find unsatisfactory employment. Perhaps in several years the situation will be better it is moving in that direction, albeit at a snail pace, but who has time to wait if they want to have a home and a family?
Achilles Węgorz
Possibly, as many as two million people have left Poland for economic and social reasons. Either they saw no chance of employment or if employed no chance of proper remuneration. In Britain, where many Poles have settled, the gross average wage is approximately 2200 pounds per month. In Poland the average net wage is perhaps 1900 złoty. In Poland there is also the phenomenon of the unemployed, who have no entitlement even to unemployment benefit or even to be counted. Clearly earnings in Britain are five times higher than in Poland.
When the costs of living in Britain and Poland are compared, services such as water, gas, electricity and telephones cost the same and petrol only cost a little more in Britain than in Poland. Food costs only twice as much in London than it does in Poland. Housing and accommodation is expensive in Britain but probably is no more expensive than in Poland, when one relates it to the wages in Britain.
It is also easier to live in Britain. In Britain officials actually try to be helpful. The tax system is relatively simple. The medical and social services, while not perfect, normally operate in an integrated comprehensive and competent manner. This is economically significant as it saves so much time and a tremendous amount of stress. In Poland the tax department is generally as awkward as possible and with a mixture of labyrinthine procedures, incompetence and viciousness contrives to make life as difficult as possible for employee and entrepreneur alike. As if this were not enough the compulsory social security system is even more inefficient and ineffective, apparently nobody, not even they can account for where the money goes. The social security system in Poland is a major barrier to the development of self-employed private business, because the statutory obligatory contributions prevent many people from starting modest business activities. Curiously, it is significant where one lives in Poland, because the individual district tax offices and social security offices all have their own interpretations of the regulations. Some district tax offices have almost succeeded in eliminating business from their districts; it makes life so much easier for them.
In Britain one undoubtedly has more surplus money for saving and for pleasure. In Britain one also has time for pleasure and relaxation because there is far less abuse of employees by employers. In Poland an employee may have a contract that stipulates the number of hours per month, but one finds that generally employers, Poles and foreigners alike, intimidate employees into working twenty-five perhaps even forty per cent more hours. Official Polish statistics declare that unemployment is now falling in Poland, but it frequently takes a graduate two years of strenuous search to find unsatisfactory employment. Perhaps in several years the situation will be better it is moving in that direction, albeit at a snail pace, but who has time to wait if they want to have a home and a family?
Achilles Węgorz