Life / The annual national pilgtrimage in Poland - all roads lead to Częstochowa [28]

Surely it can't be that hard to produce one single link proving that claim from any credible media source with clear ownership structures?

Life / The annual national pilgtrimage in Poland - all roads lead to Częstochowa [28]


That assumes Polonius isn't actually lying as per usual.

If Polonius claims something and doesn't provide a link, it's normally lies.

Feedback / Warning for posters who have been changing the names of famous Polish politicians, celebrities, etc. [90]

I think - in the spirit of the rules (if not the exact letter) - we should agree not to use it and others. It's a small price to pay for not having to read any more nonsense about "Jabberwocky", "Shifty Don" and all the rest of it.

Feedback / Warning for posters who have been changing the names of famous Polish politicians, celebrities, etc. [90]

I think that's an excellent move Lenka :)

It works both ways of course, but it's a step in the right direction.

(...does it mean that my favourite "Dear Leader" is also banned?)

Law / Setting up small business in Poland? [191]


Yes, KPMG make it sound so simple - but they would, wouldn't they?

You are "confident", yet you don't have any experience with Polish taxation and crucially, no experience with the Urzad Skarbowy. Those of us that have been here for a while know exactly what the US is capable of, particularly when it comes to non-standard business structures. I can't put it any clearer than this - the Polish Urzad Skarbowy is not known for showing mercy, particularly as they are obliged to collect every single last grosz in tax owed. Limited liability company taxation in Poland is not a simple task - which is why the accountancy fees reflect this. The fact that you're trying to do something more complicated than just issuing VAT invoices to Polish customers will also increase the fees - particularly as it's highly likely that the US will want to investigate.


You misunderstand. The whole tax system was more or less completely rewritten in the early 90's - so the system hasn't had time to mature.

Why are you making the mistake of assuming that VAT law is the be all and end all? You've got to consider how the law on deductions work (do you know how to handle ZUS?), how the law is changing (has changed?) on VAT payments to the Urzad Skarbowy, the law on the usage of the "kasa fiskalna" - etc etc. As for the EU - do you honestly think that the Polish tax office will play fairly, especially if they don't understand what you're doing?

You need to understand that Poland doesn't work like Western countries. Things are still fluid here, particularly in the area of justice. If you don't have a good accountant to fight your case, you'll find that they'll decide themselves what you owe and slap you with the bill. Are you really going to be able to handle it if they decide that you've made a mistake with the VAT regulations and that they want their payments - now?


Nope, we've just seen plenty of people fall into the trap of assuming that saving a few zloty on an accountant is a wise idea. We also have years of reading endless stories about how the Urzad Skarbowy bankrupted companies because of their interpretations on tax law. I remember one case where the tax office refused to return several million zloty to someone - even though they were ordered to do so by the courts. With that kind of institution, do you really think you can manage it?

It seems to me that you're attempting to start a business on the cheap.

For what it's worth - there's a reason why very good accountants who speak English can charge a significant amount of money.

Study / What is the best medical school in Poland? [33]


No English programmes at medical schools here are "good". In fact, they're all completely dire.

If you want to come here and buy your medical education, Poland is a great place. But don't be surprised when you can't find a job in the US or Europe afterwards because everyone knows the quality of the English language "graduates" from these universities.

Travel / Best way to get to Krakow Business Park? [27]


Are you an architect?

Law / Setting up small business in Poland? [191]


If you don't have the knowledge of how Polish company taxation works, then I'd steer clear of making assumptions.


Trying to say that Polish accounting law is "simple" is your first mistake. Don't forget - without an accountant willing to take responsibility, they'll go after you. Do you think you could handle an in-depth investigation by the Polish Urzad Skarbowy, particularly if you did the accounts yourself without much knowledge of Polish tax law?

I know one lawyer for the Urzad Skarbowy, and in her words, anyone attempting to do the paperwork themselves for a limited liability company without using accountancy services is setting themselves up for an investigation. It attracts attention in the wrong way - think from their perspective. A foreigner trying to do accounts himself without knowledge of Polish accountancy law is bound to make mistakes, not least because the law is different to their home country.


There is absolutely no way that they are going to be paying you money on a regular basis without an investigation being launched.


This will also arouse suspicion. Remember, Poland hasn't really been used for such businesses - the tax law isn't business friendly.


Listen to what people are telling you. Trying to assume that it's "simple" in a country like Poland is utter madness. Remember, many of these tax laws were more or less written from scratch 20 years ago - there isn't years of tradition and experience to fall back on, nor is there a culture of the taxman working with the taxpayer to get it right.


All? That would arouse considerable suspicion if the director's address was in Poland...

I'm no accounting genius (and I steered well clear of doing my own accounts for a sole trader despite knowing more or less how to put basic accounts together) - but given the amount of questions you've asked on here, don't you think a good accountant would be mandatory for someone with such little knowledge of Poland?

(PS : a free hint - most English resources about Polish tax law are nonsense)

News / The un-Civic Platform of Poland? [60]

The moral thing to do as a leader of the nation is not to get involved in party politics. Not getting involved means not voting on such trivial things. Do you not wonder sometimes why Lech Kaczynski was despised by the electorate?

News / The un-Civic Platform of Poland? [60]


Under the concept of democratic centralism, everyone worked for the centre, whatever it may be.


What a surprise, PiS (or their supporter) caught lying yet again. It really is becoming amusing to watch.


Harry, as I understand it - you need to go and get the paper from the Urzad Miasta that says that you have a right to vote. That'll make sure that you are registered as having abstained and thus counting towards the total.


Given that PiS tend to be supported by people who disgustingly propped up the Communist regime and then "discovered religion" when they realised that it was more profitable to be Catholic than Communist in the post 1989 reality, PO really are the moral alternative.

News / The un-Civic Platform of Poland? [60]


Not really. In this case, it doesn't make sense to vote if you're a PO supporter, because of the way that the recall law works.


Which is sensible. Why risk losing a referendum when all you have to do is make sure that the voters don't vote? PO can count on at least 40% of the voters in Warsaw abstaining, which would invalidate the referendum. Job done.


Nice of you to admit that it was PiS behind the whole thing.

As for those signatures - the law is clear. They must be checked against the PESEL numbers to make sure that only residents of Warsaw have signed the petition.


Well yes, a President of all the Poles wouldn't get involved in party politics. Common sense.

(is he even registered in Warsaw?)

History / If Poles were antisemitic, would they ...? [240]


No, not him ;)

It's Puzzler, Krzyki and many other names - he was on here the other day using yet another name too. He gives the game away every time by talking about Polonophobia and Jews.


Doesn't surprise me to be honest - you guys live here and know how it really is, whereas they're depending on the Polonia newspapers that are usually written from a quite hard right wing perspective.

Law / Setting up small business in Poland? [191]

I think you'll find that anyone willing to go into such in-depth detail will want paid for their advice.


If it's consultancy, then you have to register for VAT.

I will tell you for nothing that for a sp. z o.o, an accountant is all but mandatory. You're looking at a minimum of 500zl+VAT for such services (more if they're English speaking) per month.

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]


Vile, at least to me. But I can't really drink anything other than UHT milk anyway, so I couldn't try it even if I wanted to.


Those have mostly (all?) gone, but the system now involves buying either tokens to feed an electricity/gas meter, or using a "key" (like a USB pen drive) that can be topped up like a mobile phone. You still see such coin-operated devices in some places for certain, such as in holiday cottages on camp sites and so on.

I'd like to point out that from an American point of view, they tend to be quite lost when things aren't provided for them on a plate. I can't say why, but it seems to be related to the American convenience culture.

History / If Poles were antisemitic, would they ...? [240]


He's not Polish, he's from North America. He's posted on here under many different names, too, and has a long history of ranting about Jews and alleged "Polonophobia".

Not worth wasting your energy on - he has a clear anti-Jewish agenda.

History / If Poles were antisemitic, would they ...? [240]


I stress that the poster in question is not Polish.

Life / Polish vs British vs American - Clash of cultures [390]

Indeed. People like Goofy simply don't understand that civil war was on the menu had Jaruzelski wanted it - the mess that we saw in Romania was also quite possible had he not agreed to a peaceful transition of power.

As for others, quite a lot of people who earnt a very good living as a result of working with the Communist regime suddenly did an amazing about-face in the early 1990's once they realised that Communism wasn't coming back - and that the best hope of getting a similar position in future was to declare their loyalty to the Church.

Work / Volunteer Visa (teacher position in Poland) [6]

Do you have a volunteer placement sorted out? This is the most important thing now...

Study / Homeschooling in Poland - possible to apply? [14]


Only 2 million students, not many at all.

Law / Poland's ZUS - how much to register and later deregister? [17]


Nothing at all - you can even do it online if you get yourself an electronic signature. It's a remarkably painless process to register and unregister the company these days.


They would, but you can do it yourself - it's only one form and doesn't contain anything tricky or difficult in it.

Law / I have recently been scammed in Poland. My company accounts frozen. [58]


Sean, one thing I'd do is look very very closely at the paper trail. It might not be all that it seems - I've seen Poles forge documentation and think absolutely nothing of doing it.

Life / New to Poland (Bydgoszcz) - cost of living there [46]


?

Since when? I and all my friends go to restaurants all the time, and we can't exactly be called rich people. Given that you can get a decent pizza for 20zl in a restaurant in Poznan, it's really not that hard to eat out often. It might not be 'fine dining', but you can certainly eat somewhere with good service and good food for not very much money.

Law / I have recently been scammed in Poland. My company accounts frozen. [58]


Yes - they're only paid a percentage (I think 5%?) of the amount, so they want absolutely nothing to do with anything that isn't straightforward. I've seen a case where the bailiff sat on something for almost 2 years before attempting to collect.


Oh yes - without a shadow of a doubt that there should be a paper trail showing the attempted deliveries.

Law / I have recently been scammed in Poland. My company accounts frozen. [58]


Now, this is interesting. Photographs alone wouldn't be enough - they would need the actual proof that the post office received the letter (the little thing you get when sending something by registered post). You should have received the first slip, then a second slip saying that the letter was in the post office. Then they would have to send it again, and the same process (slip left, then a second slip left) again.

Did they present the proof of postage in court? If not, you might want to attack from that angle - if they can't prove that it was actually sent, only photographs, then you might have got them there. It would be reasonable to argue that photographs do not constitute proof of postage.

Law / I have recently been scammed in Poland. My company accounts frozen. [58]

That's what I'm wondering - if he didn't get the note, did they have proof of sending it?

Either way, just yet another shocking example of Polish courts being useless.

Law / I have recently been scammed in Poland. My company accounts frozen. [58]

Sean, in regards to the postal law - I was advised by an adwokat a while ago that for this law to be binding, there had to be proof of attempted delivery - which means sending it by registered post and requiring it to be signed for. Do they have such proof?

I certainly (when having to threaten various language schools with courts) used to send all communication by registered post in order to have the proof of attempted delivery.

History / If Poles were antisemitic, would they ...? [240]


Of course, you would see it as money 'blown' because you can't stand the thought of Jews in Poland.

Law / Poland's ZUS - how much to register and later deregister? [17]


You're looking at around 500zl a month - 400zl-ish in mandatory ZUS contributions and 123zl for an accountant.

Study / Homeschooling in Poland - possible to apply? [14]


And what experience do you have with homeschooling?

UK, Ireland / Daniel Pelka murder: Polish mother and stepfather face life sentences [96]

Which American member do you normally post as?