The Polish and British governments have signed a treaty that will make sure Polish workers do not pay tax on money earned in the UK and then have to pay high level tax on the same earnings when they return to Poland.
The TUC South West region and Polish support group, Polski Bristol, have been running a campaign highlighting the complicated tax rules and the fact that workers in other countries such as Ireland were getting better tax treatment.
The government has subsequently reached an agreement that will benefit thousands of Polish workers employed in the UK. Paymaster general, Dawn Primorolo, signed the treaty on Thursday on behalf of the British government
Speaking at the Polish Church in Bristol last night, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber, said: “Unions, campaigners and community groups in Bristol have worked together to secure an important victory for thousands of Polish workers across the whole country and end this unjust ‘Pole tax’.
“The government rightly recognises the value that Polish workers add to the UK economy and has responded quickly to union concerns that they were not being treated fairly.”
Workers from Poland have now ousted the Irish as the majority migrant workforce in the UK, according to reports on BBC radio.
