News review

It’s Easter, festive period then tradition should be nurtured. One of such “traditions” during my English classes when I was a third- or fourth-year student was delivering to the group a “news update” twice in each semester – five topical news items, preferably from world of business and politics. Let’s bring back those beautiful days and see what’s going in Poland on this silent, snowy Easter Monday.

Stooq, portal for speculators cites Information Radio Agency which, at behest of the Central Tax Office reminds restaurant-owners and waiters about their duty to pay tax on tips. Tips, received either directly by waiters serving clients, or collected by restaurant owners in jars, are nothing else but income which is subject to taxation and concealing such money from the tax office is a tax evasion. The case is serious, as tax rate on concealed, but eventually detected income is 75%. Waiters do not hold back their outrage at the obligation to pay the tax and declare collective disobedience.

Bankier.pl informs about a revolutionary idea hatched by the Polish Ministry of Finance. The guts-hated, country-wide network of speed cameras will be developed under public-private partnership. As early as in July 2013 every citizen will be allowed to put up their own speed camera and snap speeding motorists, provided they link it the police’s database. Each camera-owner will have a share in income from collected fines of 10% - 20%. This income, just as tips in restaurants, will be subject to taxation. An important remark is that income, thanks to advanced IT solutions creating links between database of camera-owners and fined drivers will be automatically offset with due fines, so speed-camera owners will not have to pay fines directly, they will be deducted from their income at they end of each year. Such venture is not a cheap one in terms of start-up costs though. A brand-new speed camera will set you back some 10,000 PLN, therefore the Ministry of Finance declares to run a new scheme of preferential loans called “speed camera for the poor”, allowing to purchase a camera on 0% instalments. Moreover, the unemployed who cannot afford to buy a camera might lease it…

Gazeta.pl provides with a link to a page containing a long-awaited recipe how to check who’s been viewing your profile on facebook. Check it out! Finally you’ll be able to find out who’s been stalking you, who’s interested in you, etc. There’s a loophole in Facebook page’s source code. One line added to a system file on a computer from which you log-on to the social networking site activates the much-desired facility…

In the meantime, Warsaw pages of Gazeta.pl notify of a new regulations concerting sorting rubbish. For the time being you had to segregate glass, paper and plastics, from July 2013 the list of types of litter will be extended to seven items: white glass, coloured glass, paper, tins, plastic, other litter and organic waste. The very last item is the most controversial, as the capital’s authorities put forward to encourage dwellers of detached, semi-detached and terraced house to recycle this kind of waste on their own and to give them compost bins and grant a 10 PLN reduction in litter collection charge. The idea brought about uproar among councillors. Probability of the new decree taking effect as of 1 July 2013 is kind of low, as there’s too little time to put out a tender for servicing such advanced system of sorting out rubbish…

One of the most popular portals, Onet.pl, disturbs peace of its readers with a horrific weather forecast. The ongoing winter spell will last by June. Sub-zero temperatures and abundant snow showers will linger for two months on. Ministry of economy encourages road-clearance companies and property administrators to stock up in salt, as salt depots are running low of stock, despite salt mines running at full capacity…

TVN24.pl brings great news for those longing to be invisible. Scientists publishing in “New Jurnal of Phisics” claim the coat they have invented is made out of the thinnest material ever used and they are just a step away from conjuring up the chemical substance letting a creature cloaked in it become invisible… This has not been the first attempt to come up with such an invention. I only wonder if moves of such an invisible man would be audible. If so, they would give them away, giving scientists another opportunity to improve their work.

Interia.pl covers the draft of a new EU directive aimed at disciplining car users. Each car, even used will have to be equipped in a display, put up above the rear-view mirror, showing if the passengers have fasten their belts. The device should be visible from outside and thus force passengers to obey the safety rules. Social pressure harnessed to reduce the death toll on the roads. How commendable and why so late? The worst thing is that obligatorily installed device will set back every car owner about 250 EUR. Was any lobbyist involved?

Wirtualna Polska sees the end of traditional tills. They will be superseded by small, mobile devices and space saved on this will be utilized to increase showroom areas. The solution is now being implemented in the United States, if you happen to prove successful and increase profits of merchants, they are likely to take root around the world.

And for the very end, a quick look at gullet press website. I stare at Fakt.pl (Polish daily for the least demanding readership) and have absolutely no idea what is true and where authors could have played prank. Absurdities overwhelm me…

And the weather outside the window… funnily enough is not a joke… 0C and it keeps snowing…