Land suitable for agricultural production is limited and should be used in a sustainable manner and protected. Countries of the former communist bloc, where the majority of the agricultural land was dynamically privatized, are in a special situation. Land has been used there also to serve the needs of growing cities, for investment speculation and as entitlement to subsidies. Therefore, legal regulations protecting agricultural land were introduced. In the case of Poland, particular attention should be paid to the radical act of 2016, which completely stopped the sale of Treasury resources and strongly limited sales on the private market. However, the new act caused a number of side effects and various pathologies. This article examines the real effects of policy aimed at combating the misuse of agricultural land. It was assumed that most of the side effects will be observed around big cities, defined as Functional Urban Areas. The following methods were used: a survey in Polish FUAs, analysis of transactions on the real estate market in 2015–2018 and in-depth interviews with representatives of local governments and relevant institutions. The study revealed a number of pathologies, such as ways of circumventing new restrictions or searching for legal loopholes.

In Poland, 82% of forests are State-owned, and only 17% of forests constitute private property. Each year, forests are converted to other land-use types, mainly for road construction. The afforestation rate on privately-owned low-productivity land is decreasing steadily. The owners and perpetual usufructuaries of this kind of land are eligible to government subsidies to cover establishment expenditures in whole or in part, provided that the afforestation scheme complies with the local zoning plan or an outline planning permission. The above creates a dilemma for farmers—is this a profitable option of managing low-productivity land? Owners of small farms particularly often face such dilemmas. Owners of small farms, which consist of low-yield agricultural land, can be regarded as investors operating on the real estate market, but those investors have features characteristic of agricultural producers. This study relied on the net present value (NPV) criterion, which is popularly used to assess the effectiveness of investments on the real estate market. A financial feasibility assessment performed with the use of such method in view of afforestation statistics and the 5% discount rate on the Polish forest market revealed the highest increase in net cumulative cash flows in the first five years, followed by a gradual decrease in successive years. The first negative cash flow was reported in year 20. NPV would remain negative because farmers would be charged with periodic maintenance expenditures until the stand reaches harvestable age at approximately 40 years. The longer the investment period, the lower the profits, even if discount rate is excluded. Investments of the type are difficult to terminate because forests younger than 20 years are difficult to sell at a price that covers growing outflows. Afforestation projects are also influenced by other economic and non-economic factors. The paper validates the research hypothesis that afforestation is a long-term investment that delivers benefits for future generations.

Students as property tenants are an underestimated and understudied aspect of the market. To date, there has been a widely held opinion that student decisions in the property market and their scope are mostly limited to the area of academic centres. It is estimated that, in Poland, over a million students enter into tenancy agreements annually, most of which are in the private property market. Such wide demand is directed at selected, diverse locations and dwellings of particular characteristics, satisfying the preferences of young people at a specific moment of their lives (the so-called “emerging adults”). The present article aims to present answers to the question of what motivates students who undertake transactions in the property market. Information on the characteristics of the sought after properties was obtained by way of surveys, leading to the generation of a set of the most important features determining the attractiveness of properties from the point of view of the analyzed population. The phenomenon of the popularity of particular locations (urban estates) has also been examined in detail.

This study presents a novel approach for developing a sustainable property tax system, aimed at enhancing economic stability and promoting sustainable regional development. This research employs a phenomenological methodology, which includes a comprehensive review of the scientific and practical literature, and their critique and synthesis. The authors also draw on their experiences with the tax system transformation within their own country. This study explores the integration of a consensual governance approach and the concept of antifragility into the complex issue of property taxation. The primary objective is to design a property tax management model that not only fulfills its economic functions, but also fosters an antifragile taxpayer society, contributing to the creation of a resilient and socially cohesive community. The findings demonstrate that a consensual and transparent property tax system, actively involving local stakeholders in decision-making processes, not only reduces resistance to tax reforms but also strengthens a community’s ability to adapt to economic fluctuations. By integrating the principles of good governance and sustainable development, the proposed model promotes socio-economic stability and provides a flexible framework that can accommodate diverse stakeholders needs, ultimately benefiting the broader community through enhanced social cohesion and long-term sustainability.