Law / UK driving license mess in Poland [72]

Sounds like good advice to ask to go to the Police Station to pay. My Wife who's Polish was saying she thought they were no longer allowed to collect fines on the street to help protect motorists from corruption.. but it seems this is more of a privilege that isn't extended to foreign nationals or those with a temporary residency permit. I can certainly understand tourists/lorry drivers etc being required to pay on the day, but if you can demonstrate you live in Poland by giving a registered address and valid PESEL number it seems a bit heavy handed. Fingers crossed I'll never have to worry about it though..

Law / Working in Poland while being self employed in the UK and paying tax and in there [24]

Merged: UK national setting up a non Polish company while living in Poland

Hello there,

I live in Poland with my Polish wife. Currently we both work for ourselves (in different trades) and are registered as self employed - and consequently we both pay ZUS and income tax in Poland. Now here's the rub: my introductory ZUS rate is rapidly coming to an end, and as my income can be quite sporadic/unreliable, the thought of paying the full rate of ZUS each month regardless of my income is making me reconsider the wisdom of being self employed in Poland.

Its been suggested to me that I could set up a foreign company (possibly UK or Irish), set up a branch office in Poland (is this necessary?), employ myself (possibly paying a nominal salary) and thus avoid any liability to pay ZUS. Is this accurate? The company would naturally be liable for corporation tax in the country it is based in, and I would pay income tax in Poland based on my income from the company - hiring a local accountant to fill in my annual tax return.

The spectre of ZUS isn't the only motivation for this - limited liability is also a consideration, along with professional indemnity and the fact that some clients prefer to work with companies rather than 'sole traders'.

I'd really appreciate any thoughts on this before I seek professional advice on either side of the channel - thanks!