Passports Recession Proof??

PolishBigSpender

jammin wrote: »

Hardly exploitation. You're comparing UK and Polish economies side by side. A beer in London may cost £5. A beer in Warsaw may cost 6zł- (~£1.25).

Unlikely. In my city, a beer will set you back 7.5zl - and in Krakow/Warsaw, 10zl is commonplace. Even as high as 15zl in city centre cafes there.

Last time I was in London, I paid 3.50 for a beer in an ordinary cafe. Or around 17zl.

The Polish economy isn't as 'poor' or as 'backwards' as many people assume on these forums.

photome

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

Unlikely. In my city, a beer will set you back 7.5zl - and in Krakow/Warsaw, 10zl is commonplace. Even as high as 15zl in city centre cafes there.

Last time I was in London, I paid 3.50 for a beer in an ordinary cafe. Or around 17zl.

The Polish economy isn't as 'poor' or as 'backwards' as many people assume on these forums.

MMMM
I spoke to a Pole living in London a few weeks ago and he is paying £600 a month rent for a flat, he told me he owns a similar flat in Poland that he rents out for £60 a month.

He works over here as a Lorry driver because he can earn a lot more money.

Those two things together suggest the opposite

jammin_2

How many Polish and other A8 nationals have come to the UK / Ireland to find work, in comparison to UK / Irish nationals that have moved to A8 States?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking Poland.

I just think it's reasonable to accept that cost of living / wages etc., are much lower in Poland than in the UK. Therefore, is it not expected and accepted, that a passport / National ID card set in Poland costs ~£15, whereas a passport in the UK costs ~£70? I think it is, that's all.

I certainly don't think "they're clearly exploting British citizens."

Pont

Can confirm the price of a beer in Krakow city centre cafes/restaurants/bars (last week) cost between 6 and 7zl - good deal methinks!

omelette451

PolishBigSpender wrote: »

In my city, a beer will set you back 7.5zl

Which is your city by the way PBS?

he6rt6gr6m

Im jumping on a ship to Europe, trekking to Poland, and getting a Passport from them, then.

In fact, might even stay there, if beer is cheap, and the properties are £60pm!

In all seriousness, though, someone said earlier that they dont believe £70 for a passport isnt much, and that it comes to £7 a year, or about 59p a Month... Its all well and good making the numbers seem smaller than they actually are, but, from the people I know, people only use their passport once a year... sometimes once every couple of years.

So your paying for nothing, really.

Imagine a world of monthly passports... Want to go away for a couple of weeks? Apply the month before, get it on the first of the month your going, and then it expires in 28 days! And it would cost £7 everytime you wanted a holiday.

Simples.

photome

he6rt6gr6m wrote: »

Im jumping on a ship to Europe, trekking to Poland, and getting a Passport from them, then.

In fact, might even stay there, if beer is cheap, and the properties are £60pm!

In all seriousness, though, someone said earlier that they dont believe £70 for a passport isnt much, and that it comes to £7 a year, or about 59p a Month... Its all well and good making the numbers seem smaller than they actually are, but, from the people I know, people only use their passport once a year... sometimes once every couple of years.

So your paying for nothing, really.

Imagine a world of monthly passports... Want to go away for a couple of weeks? Apply the month before, get it on the first of the month your going, and then it expires in 28 days! And it would cost £7 everytime you wanted a holiday.

Simples.

Thats not a great example, but even if you (as you said went away once a year) £7 on top of your holiday price isnt very much IMO. My guess is you wouldnt think twice about paying £7 for a taxi to the airport, a couple of beers at the airport, etc etc.

PolishBigSpender

omelette451 wrote: »

Which is your city by the way PBS?

Poznan, home of the mighty Lech

(well...mighty in terms of beating up other teams fans!)

photome]he told me he owns a similar flat in Poland that he rents out for £60 a month.

60 pounds a month is roughly about 300zl. The administration charges in my flat come to over 600zl a month alone, and that's before mortgage repayments too. Considering I live in an ordinary flat in an ordinary city, it's safe to say that your friend was speaking absolute nonsense. Even the cheapest 1 room flats here will still cost you close to 1000zl a month if you were to rent one. Even a room in an ordinary flat will set you back 400-500zl a month.

jammin wrote:

I just think it's reasonable to accept that cost of living / wages etc., are much lower in Poland than in the UK. Therefore, is it not expected and accepted, that a passport / National ID card set in Poland costs ~£15, whereas a passport in the UK costs ~£70? I think it is, that's all.

Given that they're talking about putting 30 pounds on the cost of a UK passport to pay for ID cards, then you'll be looking at a difference in price of around 85 pounds between the countries. Given that Poland isn't vastly cheaper to live in (it was pre-2004!) - then it's pretty obvious that someone's being exploited.

I'm told that the cost of a German passport is roughly 60 euro.

In all honesty, the cost of ordinary, everyday things were the one big reason that I left the UK.

he6rt6gr6m

photome wrote: »

Thats not a great example, but even if you (as you said went away once a year) £7 on top of your holiday price isnt very much IMO. My guess is you wouldnt think twice about paying £7 for a taxi to the airport, a couple of beers at the airport, etc etc.

I would, actually. Im a bit of a skin-flint that way. And a couple of beers for £7 would see me laughing out of the establishment. :P

ttoli

he6rt6gr6m wrote: »

Ive just been quoted a price for a Passport these days, and it was £70+!

I remember a few years back when they were £30!! Whats happened since? I mean, they're passports, not gold plated books.

No chance of these things actually doing the unthinkable and coming DOWN in price?

Mines due for renewal and the High Commision in Nicosia have just quoted me,.................... 170 EUROS!!!!!