In the first half of 2026, Poland’s National Tax Administration received 4,500 signal reports (anonymous tip-offs) — a record number since the country regained independence, while the whole of 2025 saw 84,500 such reports filed.
In short
- In the first half of 2026, Poland’s tax office received a record number of tip-offs since independence.
- In 2025, 84,500 tip-offs were filed — significantly more than double the first-half figures of previous years.
- People mostly file tip-offs over personal conflicts: neighbor disputes, divorces, dismissals, or business competition.
- Nationwide, only 20–25% of tip-offs are found credible, while the rest are unconfirmed or false from the start.
- In Białystok, up to 85% of tip-offs turn out to be unconfirmed or false — the highest rate among the cities covered.
How many tip-offs did Poland’s tax office receive in 2026
In the first half of 2026, branches of Poland’s National Tax Administration received tens of thousands of so-called signal reports — anonymous tip-offs about suspected violations of tax and customs law. This is a record for the entire period of Poland’s independence: the agency has never before recorded this many reports in a single half-year.
If the pace of the first half of the year holds, the total for 2026 could reach a new record level — but this is only a rough estimate based on first-half dynamics, not an official forecast. The projection relies on the growth trend: each successive half-year has brought more signal reports than the one before it.
How the number of tip-offs has changed over recent years
| Period | Number of tip-offs |
|---|---|
| First half of 2024 | 35,000 |
| First half of 2025 | 38,000 |
| Full year 2025 | 84,500 |
Comparing two consecutive first halves (2025 and 2026) shows growth at a pace of roughly 20% — but the year-over-year growth in earlier periods (2024→2025) was noticeably more modest, so it’s premature to call 20% a stable annual growth rate. The full-year 2025 figure confirms the trend: 84,500 tip-offs already exceeds even a generous doubling of the previous year’s first-half numbers.
The number of tip-offs rises every half-year, but the pace is uneven: growth from 2024 to 2025 was much smaller than growth from 2025 to 2026, so it’s too early to call 20% a stable annual rate.
Who files tip-offs on neighbors and coworkers in Poland, and why
Tax officials identify five main motives behind people reporting one another:
- neighbor disputes — a reason to complain about someone with whom everyday relations have soured;
- divorce — a tip-off used as a way to hurt a former partner;
- revenge against a former partner outside marriage;
- disputes between employers and dismissed employees — settling scores after an employment relationship ends;
- competition between business owners — a way to create problems for a business rival.
What all these cases share is one thing: the report is filed not because of a discovered violation of the law, but because of a personal conflict with a specific person.
What all these cases share is one thing: the report is filed not because of a discovered violation of the law, but because of a personal conflict with a specific person.
Most tip-offs are filed not because of a discovered violation but because of a personal conflict: a neighbor dispute, a divorce, revenge against a former partner, a job dismissal, or business competition.
Why reporting to the tax office is such an easy, risk-free tool
A tip-off to the tax authority can be filed anonymously, free of charge, and comes with legal protection — no money, no personal presence, and no willingness to openly confront the person being reported on are required. The person filing the report generally bears no legal responsibility if what they wrote turns out to be wrong — except in cases where it’s proven the information was submitted knowingly false: the system can be used to settle personal scores without any risk to the person doing so.
the system can be used to settle personal scores without any risk to the person doing so
This tool was originally created for an entirely different purpose — to bring order and identify those who don’t pay taxes or run financial schemes. In practice, it has turned into a way to anonymously harm a neighbor, a former partner, a business competitor, or simply someone you envy — and to do it without spending anything or risking anything.
A report can be filed anonymously and free of charge, and the person who files it bears almost no responsibility for incorrect information — proving deliberate false reporting is difficult.
How many tip-offs turn out to be false: city-by-city statistics
| City / level | Share of unconfirmed or false tip-offs |
|---|---|
| Rzeszów | around 70% |
| Białystok | up to 85% |
| Lublin (first half of 2026) | 77% |
| Kraków | 56% |
| Nationwide | only 20–25% of tip-offs are found credible |
According to available regional data, only about a quarter of reports are found credible and become grounds for an inspection, a test purchase, or a tax or customs audit — the rest, meaning roughly three out of four tip-offs, are either unconfirmed or false from the start.
Every tip-off, regardless of whether it’s confirmed or not, triggers the same procedure: an inspector must check it. The person being reported on spends time, nerves, and money on lawyers or accountants even when the accusation turns out to be baseless.
Even if the accusation turns out to be baseless, the person reported on still spends time, nerves, and money on lawyers or accountants — the inspection happens regardless.
What the rise in tip-offs actually means for society
A growing number of reports to the tax office doesn’t necessarily mean a proportional rise in actual violations — that’s the cautious reading some tax experts offer. Under this view, more tip-offs may reflect not more wrongdoing, but greater public awareness: it’s become easier for people to report a suspicion, and they’re more willing to do so.
There’s another reading of the same phenomenon. The author of a piece in the newspaper Wprost compares what’s happening in Poland today to communist-era practices: people used to report to the security service, to the NKVD or the KGB — today, it’s the tax office.
people used to report to the security service, to the NKVD or the KGB — today, it’s the tax office
Both versions describe the same rising numbers but explain them differently: one as growing civic awareness, the other as an inherited habit of reporting on one’s neighbor through an official channel. Regardless of which explanation is closer to the truth, the phenomenon itself points to a broader social mood: Poland is going through a period of mutual suspicion and hostility. This hostility isn’t directed only outward — at Ukrainians and other foreigners — but also inward, at a neighbor, an ex-husband, or a business rival. Publicly, it looks like accusations against outsiders; at a hidden level, it’s people reporting on one another out of envy, personal conflict, or plain dislike.
How many tip-offs actually get confirmed
In most cities, the share of unconfirmed or false tip-offs outweighs actual confirmed violations.
- Rzeszów, unconfirmed tip-offs~70%
- Białystok, unconfirmed tip-offsup to 85%
- Lublin, first half of 202677%
- Kraków, unconfirmed tip-offs56%
- Nationwide, credible tip-offs20–25%
Frequently asked questions
What happens to someone who has a false tip-off filed against them with the tax office
An inspector is required to check every tip-off regardless of whether it turns out to be true. The person reported on spends time, nerves, and money on lawyers or accountants even when the accusation proves baseless — the inspection procedure starts automatically.
Can you file a tip-off with the tax office without giving your name
Yes, a report to Poland’s tax authority can be filed anonymously, free of charge, and with legal protection. It requires no money, no personal presence, and no willingness to openly confront the person being reported on.
Can someone be held liable for filing a false tip-off
The person who files a report generally bears no legal responsibility if what they wrote turns out to be wrong — except in cases where it’s proven the information was submitted knowingly false. It’s precisely this lack of risk that makes the tip-off a convenient tool for settling personal scores.
Is it possible to find out who filed a tip-off
No, reports are filed anonymously, and it’s precisely this anonymity, combined with the lack of accountability for false accusations, that makes the tool popular for personal conflicts — whether with neighbors, family, or business.
Comments
Reader experience is useful, but it is not advice: check the rules on the official site.
No account needed: click Sign in, type any name, and you are done.