News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Who can declare a state of emergency ?

You mean a state of emergency about their virus or one about the elections ? Because if it's about the virus you will not get people back into their houses now they have been let out and are shopping, exercising and working again.

USA, Canada / Poles Living in the Chicago Area [343]

Good luck to them and I hope all you guys in Chicago stay safe ! It will be a few more weeks before this clears up

Treat those medics to a curbside pickup from the Red Apple when this has finished.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

I thought Adrian's appeal that rich people should not claim 500 plus was bizarre. I would quite happily go down to say 100 zloty or some token amount if everybody got a reduction to 400 zloty - that would be genuine solidarity

I just can't see the postal election working - I pity the postmen - do I have to wear a mask in my own front yard when I sign for the papers ?

News / How Poland bought German Airline Condor and might lose massive from it [34]

I'm not sure if Weimarer will be returning - hopefully not, but I see that even Lufthansa is now in serious difficulties and needs a 10 billion bailout. Shares are tanking on the liquidity worries.

The govt suspended LOT flights for another 3 weeks today.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Spike was thinking of you today - drove past some house in the middle of nowhere and it was completely plastered with Bosak posters !

I feel sorry for the candidates like KK and Bosak - could have had a breakthrough but PiS seems determined to steal this election. But it's unreal at the moment. Despite the staff changes there is no way the post office can organize a big operation like that in time

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

One thing I would say Johnny is that for those of us who are doing business in Eastern Europe, that tends to provide all the risk we need - we have the zloty, forint, lei etc to deal with, crazy governments, corruption, unfair competition and courts that are slow and rigged. When I am lucky enough to make a profit in that environment I don't want to then double my risk by investing it in Tesla.

So my US investments tend to be too conservative - hilariously I turned down a brokers tip on Abbott Labs in Jan because I had never heard of it. Guess who is closest to a mass produced testing product ? My US stocks are up and down but I always go for things with lots of customers, market leading position and good dividends - coke, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Starbucks etc. I'm never going to get great profits and will always underperform a growth market.

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

investopedia.com/ask/answers/052715/how-big-derivatives-market.asp

The very first hit to googling it - as I said you are taking the notional value not the market value.

Poland obviously has a small derivatives market but it s dominated by 3 banks. - Pekao,, Citi and Santander with a few foreign banks also involved like HSBC and the French.

Interest rates were 2.5 percent not 3 but I remember Trump being upset that they were too high

bbc.com/news/business-49183329

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

But pretty much every economy in the world has 5-6 major banks. It is the same here in Poland. I don't believe those derivative figures - the market value is obviously many times less than that.

At Christmas the economy was fine, Trump was happy at working his miracles, employment going up, GDP growth nice, investment quite good and most people were comparing that interest rates of 3 percent were too high. So whatever is happening now is a reflection of the chaotic response to the virus.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

No surprise there and I can't imagine Other countries with big Polish populatiosna llowing it eaiter - Canada, Australia Ireland etc.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

And like the illegal occupation of Crimea ?

Or bumping off innocent British citizens with nerve agents ?

Modern day Russian crimes are peas in the same pod as Soviet crimes like Katyn

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

I know - though its par for the course. Mods are happy for any thread to become full of trolls who never post anything about Poland.

There are few more sombre subjects for Poland than Katyn.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

This is a Polish forum and many of us have family murdered or deported by Russians.

Can you take your anti Semitic nonsense to some right wing extremist forum ? You are pathetic and never post anything about Poland

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

This thread is about Katyn - not about Jews. You are pathetic Vesko

How many of those people were involved with Katyn ?

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

They were Soviets including many Russians - just the same as the ones illegally occupying Crimea

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

RIP - we should ensure that in the future the people who commit these massacres face justice

Law / ZUS for a sole trader in Poland [10]

No, unless you are planning a big business it doesn't make sense. You need to make a profit before you can declare a dividend and in any case you would then up paying tax twice - the company would pay corporation tax and you would pay a tax on the dividend.

Apart from the ZUS situation a sole trader is much easier and simpler, there is not much admin and the tax rates are low compared to the rest of Europe.

Law / ZUS for a sole trader in Poland [10]

No it doesn't worl like that for sole traders - you pay a flat fee currently PLN 1354. For the first year it is a lower amount - can't remeber the exact amounts but around und 600 zloty.

It's not a great system - a high fixed cost even if your business is not doing well.

6krokow.pl/ile-wynosza-skladki-zus-dla-przedsiebiorcy-oraz-dla-nowych-firm/

If you read Polish this explains what is optional and what is compulsory

UK, Ireland / Why are Polish people, especially women, so disrespectful toward the English? [442]

Yes, maybe now would be good time for nurses, bus drivers, shop assistants and bus drivers to leave Britain.

Life / What is Poland going to be like in the 2050s? [72]

Or chicken embryos for breakfast

Real Estate / Bank repossessed properties database in Poland? [15]

Unless you are connected or willing to bribe the komornik you won't find many good deals. Many of the komorniks are fast operators and a good portion are downright corrupt.

In addition to that title and mortgage issues can be complicated in Poland and take several years to clear.

For commercial properties you're certainly not going to get a well located office block or supermarket on the cheap.

Your best market for this kind of deal is either in the US or the UK where banks and courts move quickly and the liquidation process is much more transparent.

UK, Ireland / Irish (live in London) moving to Poland [44]

Up to you but it is quite clear on the British embassy website and in Polish law that you need to excgmhange them.

You need to add up your days for tax purposes anyway - there is no guarantee that all elements of the Polish-British tax treaty will continue after Brexit so you will need to document your stays.

UK, Ireland / Irish (live in London) moving to Poland [44]

Dolno if you are intending to live here full time then I advise you to get cracking on a Polish license as it takes a few months to sort and a few visits to the Urzad.

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

At which point the looters will start taking their own firearms with them.

Will make a good movie though.

Funny how you guys never lose on real estate or stocks. You must all be smarter than me :)

Law / Maximum daily limit for international bank transfer to/out of Poland [11]

I have had a problem with the same bank, same issue about a year ago. Was paying a tax bill outside Poland. It only took a day or so to sort it out, so you need to speak to your advisor.

Is it a normal country ? or is it somewhere like Cyprus, Malta, Monaco etc - that will automatically be held up

Law / Landlord forces me to pay internet+TV [17]

No you don't have to register books. Unlike in Russia where having the wrong books on their shelves sent many people to a cold death in Siberia.

Real Estate / Getin Noble Bank / Dombank - it is possible to cancel mortgage agreement in CHF? [41]

Emigrate to Switzerland - work as hard as possible to save up some franks and then come back to Poland to pay it off

News / How hard will Poland be hit by the economic crisis? [116]

Yes - a number of reasons, was introduced by PiS in 2015 as a sop to farmers but in some ways has made life more difficult (in old times they could always sell a few ars if they needed a bit of cash)

News / How hard will Poland be hit by the economic crisis? [116]

Not in Poland - due to Government rules farmland is very difficult to buy and even harder to sell. Banks are stopping accepting it as collateral and prices suffering accordingly. It's nice to walk around it in gumaki though that is about the only pleasure it brings me

News / How hard will Poland be hit by the economic crisis? [116]

It can work but the problem is that your four best sellers - bus tickets, cigarettes, alcohol and phone tops are all declining markets. That means you have to work your butt off to sell the groceries which is very labor-intensive and very competitive now that Biedronka and Lidl are saturating urban areas.

I think you can make a reasonable living in Zabka but you will have to work hard at it. Setting up on your own would be very difficult - why would people go to you or not to Zabka or Kolporter ?

News / How hard will Poland be hit by the economic crisis? [116]

Ok - makes sense for you if you are thinking in dollars :) hope it works out