The case concerns a restaurant visited by a tax inspector. The official first ordered shrimp pizza, and upon receiving the bill issued a fine of 2.5 k zł to the restaurateur. No, it’s not that the pizza didn’t taste good to the tax officer, but about the tax rate the restaurant added to the bill. It was 8%, which the officer deemed an error because shrimp are taxed at 23%, so – according to her – the entire pizza should be taxed at the same rate, i.e., 23%. And here questions arise: was this not a deliberate choice by the officer to fine for an order whose taxation is not obvious?
A nationwide scandal with political undertones
It should be noted that the restaurateur did not want to pay VAT at all, which would of course be reprehensible conduct. The open question remains whether the incorrectly calculated tax was intentional or merely accidental. The standard VAT rate for pizza is 8%, so it’s not surprising that a mistake could occur. For seafood the tax rises to 23%, but it’s unclear whether this was an oversight or a deliberate act. Intent can certainly be inferred from the tax officer’s conduct, who, knowing the regulations, knew the restaurateur could err and meticulously exploited the situation to impose a fine. Case? According to Agata Jagodzińska, head of the largest trade union at the National Tax Administration (KAS), no. She claims, the new performance metrics for tax officers are to blame, which essentially force them to issue as many fines as possible.
“I also hear from employees something even more unsettling – that they sometimes prefer to cover some costs out of pocket just to avoid ruining statistics and risking accusations of failing to meet metrics” – warns Agata Jagodzińska on social media.
The chair of the largest trade unions at KAS gives examples indicating that officials may be forced to issue more fines. In 2024 there were 13,787, and in 2025 that rose to 20,200. The total amount of fines increased – according to the officer – from 20.4 m zł to 27.8 m zł.
“This is the policy of the current leadership. The current Donald Tusk government. The head of KAS should be dismissed. Minister Andrzej Domański doesn’t know what’s happening at KAS. He doesn’t care. He blindly accepts explanations from Mr. Łoboda. It’s high time the KAS head resigns” – suggests Agata Jagodzińska in a post on X.
Accusations are rebutted by government representatives.
“Our goal is to fight the ‘gray zone’ and ensure fair competition among entrepreneurs. We do not act ‘blindly’ in this area and always rely on risk analysis. Entrepreneurs are examined where the probability of irregularities is appropriately high” – said Deputy Finance Minister, KAS deputy head Zbigniew Stawicki, quoted on the National Tax Administration’s X profile.
Does the government dislike the criticism?
The Gdańsk case has been heavily commented on in the media. Both the tax officials and Donald Tusk’s government were hit with criticism at the time. Was this disapproved by the authorities?
The whole affair gained wide attention after Krzysztof Stanowski commented on Channel Zero, who left no “dry thread” about the official who issued the fine. The Channel Zero owner said, among other things, that “they should keep you on the market naked, pinned to a pole, so everyone knows how foolish an official can be”. In response, the National Tax Administration filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office against Krzysztof Stanowski for inciting violence by the journalist.
See also: Students don’t have to pay tax? The National Tax Information leaves no illusion
