Legal Eye: A few days in the life of...
Let us hope it will have a good impact on the Polish economy.
December 29, 2005: Once again the new government showed its willingness to tackle the difficult issues that have been plaguing Poland. Gosh, maybe it's really time for a second child. The zł.1,000 baby bonus would almost cover a month's wages for a nanny.
June 9, 2006: Just when we thought we could get back to business, the government decided we need another police force, the Central Anti-corruption Bureau, and gave it the authority to conduct investigations at business premises. And to think, I was worried about the famed Old Boys' Network.
July 21, 2006: Blame it on my naivety. I didn't think it was possible to centralize so much power. The latest reform target is banks, financial markets and insurance and retirement funds. One grand tsar of one large institution will supervise all of these financial markets.
September 8, 2006: A ray of hope appeared. Special Economic Zones, those darlings of investors, have become even better. More land, more flexibility, simpler procedures. Now, if we could just get some good roads between the Zones...
December 19, 2006: In case the hint a year ago wasn't enough, the government once again made it clear what women are to do. Maternity leave has now been extended to 20 weeks for a second child.
January 1, 2007: My resolution for 2007 is to continue to qualify as self-employed. It seems I qualify under the three tests. I bear responsibility for my work; I am my own supervisor; and my performance bears a direct relation to the thickness of my wallet. Well, best get back to work to pay off the holiday season.
March 20, 2007: This "one-stop" concept for setting up a business keeps popping up as a new, great idea. It was already in the Law on Freedom of Economic Activity, but the date for implementation was delayed to October 2008. Now, the IV Republic has announced its very own version of "one-stop" in the Kluska plan. I don't care about the name; I just want the idea implemented.
May 11, 2007: I didn't even set foot in Poland before the 1990s, but do I need to be vetted? Maybe they discovered some incipient leftist leanings in me, like singing "This Land is Your Land" with way too much feeling. Pen in hand, ready to sign the declaration, I awaited the decision of the Constitutional Tribunal. Whew, as a mere lawyer, I'm off the hook, at least this time.
June 15, 2007: Finally, a little tax relief. The disability portion of the social insurance payments has been reduced. Employees now only have to pay 1.5 percent (instead of 4.5 percent) of their base wages to fund disability payments. Let's hope that employers' payments are reduced the next time around.
August 24, 2007: Definitely a good news/bad news day. On the up side, we finally have some new legislation that makes sense for working mothers. Telecommuting has been officially recognized in the Labor Code. On the down side, I won't be able to shop on holidays. I wonder if using my Blackberry while shopping would count as telecommuting.
September 19, 2007: Good news for football fans. There's a green-light on stadium development as the President signed the new Euro 2012 Law. Bad news for us lawyers, with the outgoing parliament passing over 120 new laws, we've got a lot of legislation to review.
