The Beginnings of the Tax Administration in Bialystok Province during the Years between the Two World Wars

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show the beginnings of the tax administration during the years between the two World Wars, using the Białystok Province as an example. The research work focuses on an analysis of the legislative process designed to create effective and modern tax administration. According to the authors, the process consists of three stages. The first stage, which ended in 1922, was the commencement of the administration and unification of the existing bodies. The second stage, which took place in the 1920s, was defined by the constant reorganization of the legal structures with the aim to fully implement the plans proposed by the authors of the legislative process. The third stage, interrupted by the outbreak of World War II, was characterized by efforts to improve the efficiency of the newly developed tax system. The historical-legal method was used to critically analyse archival sources, such as: Archive fonds 4/53/0 Izba Skarbowa w Białymstoku 1921–1939, Archive fonds 4/56/0 Urząd Skarbowy w Grodnie 1935–1939 and Archive fonds 4/55/0 Urząd Skarbowy w Sokołce 1924–1939 from the archive register of the State Archive in Bialystok. Additionally, the following publications were used for analysis: Dziennik Ustaw, Dziennik Urzędowy Ministerstwa Skarbu, Monitor Polski. In contrast, an analysis of the literature on the subject, and a review of professional journals, such as “Czasopismo Skarbowe”, “Kalendarz Skarbowy” and national and local press, including “Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny”, “Dziennik Białostocki”, “Przegląd Ostrołęcki”, “Głos Ziemi Grodzieńskiej”, “Wspólna Praca”, allowed for understanding of the historical determinants of the creation of the tax administration, one of the most important institutions of the reborn Polish state.