This post is not a rant, even though it may sound like one. I am simply attempting to explain the issue in a slightly irritated manner. Because I am slightly irritated right now. Numbers always do that to me.<\/p>\n
Yes, we\u2019ll talk about numbers today. Numbers of the official kind. In most civilized countries, and in a few uncivilized ones too, or at least in those countries I\u2019m familiar with, the governments make do with only one number. Some call it a social security number, some \u2013 a personal number, ID number, or what not. You know what it is and how to use it. And you use it for many different things, from getting a cell phone contract to paying your taxes. Simple, easy and efficient. One number to rule them all.<\/p>\n
I quite like this system. Being the kind of person who has a hard time remembering her own birth date, I am more than happy with just one number to deal with. At least one number per country. Any more than that and I run into trouble.<\/p>\n
Well, things are not so simple, easy and efficient in Poland. First, there is PESEL<\/strong>. PESEL<\/strong> stands for \u201cPowszechny Elektroniczny System Ewidencji Ludno\u015bci<\/strong>\u201d which is basically a very fancy name for a personal ID number. Every Pole has one. Most Poles born after 1975, even if born abroad, have PESELs. No PESEL, no other documents. You need it for getting an ID card, or a driver\u2019s license, or a passport. You need it for pretty much everything, everywhere. You get this number automatically, and boom, there it is. It consists of your date of birth \u2013 year (two digits), month and day plus five additional numbers. One of them signifies your sex, and I\u2019m pretty sure that others also have some secret meaning.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s NIP<\/strong>. The bane of my existence. Numer Identyfikacji Podatkowej<\/strong>, which is a boring Polish name for a tax ID number. And as the name indicates, you use it for paying your taxes.<\/p>\n Getting one is the hard part. Normally, your employer must apply for it for you when you get a job. But what to do when you don\u2019t have a permanent job? When you work as a freelancer, who doesn\u2019t have a sole proprietorship or any other type of company? I cringe at the very thought. I\u2019ve heard of stories that people were simply able to fill out the appropriate application form, went to the Tax Office (Urz\u0105d Skarbowy<\/strong>) and sorted themselves a NIP without any problems. But those are almost urban legends. I\u2019ve never met a person who actually managed to accomplish this feat, it was always a friend of a friend\u2019s cousin\u2019s next door neighbor who did it.<\/p>\n I had a lot less luck when dealing with the Tax Office. The sour-faced lady at Pierwszy Urz\u0105d Skarbowy<\/strong> in Gdansk took one look at my application and said \u201cno<\/em>\u201d without any further explanations. When asked \u201cwhy<\/em>\u201d she pointed with her pen to window number 2.<\/p>\n The sour-faced lady at window number 2 took one look at my application and said \u201cno employer information, no NIP<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d When asked about freelancers, she said \u201cnot my problem. No employer details, no NIP<\/strong><\/em>\u201d with that special tone of voice that meant \u201care you dumb or something?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n I asked her to explain it to me once again using simple words of no more than 2 syllables. And the story went like this:<\/p>\n If you are a freelancer, you still need your \u201cemployer\u201d to fill out and stamp the form in order to be issued a NIP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n When I pointed out that this arrangement sort of defies the idea of working freelance, the sour-faced lady kindly answered, \u201cso get a normal job and don\u2019t bother me. Next!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n Luckily, I know someone who has a company and was willing to support my NIP<\/strong> application by acting as my employer. But all this leads me to believe that since Poland makes it so difficult to get a tax ID number, the government is not really interested in collecting those taxes. A very curious country indeed.<\/p>\n So what happened next? Instead of issuing me a NIP<\/strong>, the Tax Office lost my application. Arrgh!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This post is not a rant, even though it may sound like one. I am simply attempting to explain the issue in a slightly irritated manner. Because I am slightly irritated right now. Numbers always do that to me. Yes, we\u2019ll talk about numbers today. Numbers of the official kind. In most civilized countries, and…<\/p>\n