Popiwek
Encyclopedia
Popiwek was an extraordinary tax introduced in Poland in 1984. Although created by the communist authorities and initially hidden under the name of fee for the National Work Activization Fund, it is primarily associated with the Balcerowicz's Plan
Balcerowicz's Plan
The Balcerowicz Plan , also termed "Shock Therapy," was a method for rapidly transitioning from a communist economy, based on state ownership and central planning, to a capitalist market economy. Named for its author, the Polish minister and economist Leszek Balcerowicz, the plan was adopted in...

 of 1989. It was used as one of the elements that was to fight the hyperinflation
Hyperinflation
In economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or out of control. While the real values of the specific economic items generally stay the same in terms of relatively stable foreign currencies, in hyperinflationary conditions the general price level within a specific economy increases...

(reaching 251%) that struck Poland in 1980's. It created a state-controlled level of wages, tied to the level of inflation, and taxed all companies that exceeded the wage rise limits. In 1991 the tax was lifted for the privately held companies and the following year it was withdrawn altogether.
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