Members are so mediocre that they gotta rent cars at the expense of taxpayers

More and more Members resign from private cars and rent cars at the expense of taxpayers. As Virtual Poland reveals, almost 1 in 3 parliamentarians of the current word usage this possibility, financing the rent of money allocated to moving the post office.

In car theory, they're meant to be for business purposes only. In practice, they are besides utilized privately. The procedure has become widespread since the Bureau of Sejm Analysis issued a legal opinion in 2020 allowing the rental of cars within an office flat. The authoritative defence line reads: “this is not an additional expenditure, but a different way of utilizing the funds allocated”. However, the scale of the phenomenon raises legitimate controversy.

Each MP receives a PLN 23,310 lump sum per period for the activity of the parliamentary office. Previously, most of these funds went to rent premises, assistant salaries, and basic expenses. Now the number of long-term car rental contracts is increasing. From November 2023 to the end of 2024, at least 146 Members have already decided to take this step.

Among the evidence holders is Andrzej Costowniak from PiS, who spent over PLN 60 1000 per year to rent a car – despite the fact that in the message he reported having 4 own vehicles. Another example is the Minister of improvement Krzysztof Paszyk (PSL), who besides rents a car, although as a associate of the government he has a service limousine at his disposal. But on this occasion, the Members of all the options – list available at wp.pl.

Virtual Poland indicates that any MPs rent cars with their own – frequently fresh – cars in garages. At the same time, they inactive gotta show their vehicles in property statements, which frequently shows the difference between reality and authoritative translations.

The 2020 opinion on which MEPs are based allows the payment of long-term flat-rate rents, provided that expenditure is decently documented. However, in the past – in 2008 – there was a different legal interpretation, prohibiting the financing of car rental from money for parliamentary offices.

The problem is not in the specified anticipation of renting, but in the question of honesty and transparency. Politicians are to be representatives of citizens and not beneficiaries of legal gaps to finance private convenience from public funds.