Problem with senators’ statements. PiS MP: This is nonsense
In their asset declarations, senators may provide the value of the property at the time of purchase, not its current value. This is a completely different practice than in the Sejm. Jacek Świat from PiS is surprised by this approach.
KO senator Marek Borowski states in his asset declarations that his apartment in Warsaw is worth PLN 600,000. However, this is a price from many years ago, and the current price may be up to three times higher. The tax office became interested in the matter twice and pointed out to the politician that he should provide the market value. Borowski did not want to do this and suggested that the Committee on Regulations, Ethics and Senatorial Affairs adopt a position on this matter.
Senators provide values that are divorced from reality. Unanimous opinion on the matter
At the beginning of March, a resolution was unanimously adopted, emphasizing that “indicating the value of a given property in its purchase price is not incorrect,” reported “Rzeczpospolita.” Sławomir Rybicki from the Civic Coalition explained that “the basic purpose of the asset declaration is not to provide the exact value of all assets, but to enable the assessment of whether their increase over the year is covered by income or loans.”
The Chairman of the Rules, Ethics and Senatorial Affairs Committee added in the context of real estate that the declarations are checked by tax offices and so far only one has found the purchase amount questionable. Other recommendations apply in the Sejm, where it is suggested to provide an estimated value.
Problem with asset declarations. How to enter the value of a property?
Between 2005 and 2020, apartment prices in Poland increased by an average of 142%. This is the highest rate in the entire European Union. – Giving the value on the date of purchase is nonsense – commented Jacek Świat, deputy head of the Ethics Committee in the Sejm. The PiS MP explained that he determines the value of his property by comparing offers from the area on the Internet, so senators should not have a problem with this.
