Introduction
Interactions with government agencies are not merely a matter of convenience, but represent a real economic cost. The authors introduce the concept of the time tax, treating the hours spent on bureaucracy as a resource that the state levies from society.
In this article, you will learn how to move from subjective perceptions to the rigorous measurement of administrative burdens. You will discover analytical tools and methods for reducing so-called administrative burden, ensuring that administration stops financing its own inefficiency with the time of its citizens.
Time Measurement: Moving from Subjective Perception to Rigorous Accounting
Accurate measurement requires looking beyond the mere act of filling out documents. Simply counting minutes spent on forms is insufficient, as it overlooks the time spent searching for information, learning procedures, and periods of uncertainty prior to a decision.
The entire process must be analyzed: from the moment eligibility is identified, through data collection, to any potential appeals. An example is a situation where shortening a form by half is offset by the requirement to log into an additional system.
It is crucial to distinguish between interface time and process time. Only such an approach allows one to separate justified administrative friction from redundant bureaucracy.
The Standard Cost Model as a Tool for Measuring Administrative Costs
Professional valuation of burdens is enabled by the Standard Cost Model (SCM). This method identifies information obligations, breaks them down into specific activities, and assigns parameters to them: time, labor cost, and frequency of occurrence.
For businesses, SCM allows hours to be converted into specific monetary amounts. However, for citizens, simple monetization is misleading, as it would suggest that the time of a wealthy individual is more valuable than that of a retiree.
To avoid this error, multidimensional measures should be used: reporting raw hours, examining the share of cost relative to disposable time, and analyzing the redundancy of data already held by the state.
Multidimensional Burden Metrics Instead of Simple Monetization
Real burdens are measured by indicators such as non-take-up (the forfeiture of rights due to overly difficult procedures) and the rework rate (the percentage of cases requiring corrections). The psychological cost, measured through sludge audits, is also significant.
Intangible costs, such as stress or frustration, can be studied using system log analysis and tests involving groups vulnerable to exclusion. This allows for the detection of systemic regressivity, where the most marginalized pay the highest time tax.
In the Polish system, a solution would be the introduction of a Time Tax Impact Assessment. Such an impact assessment module would force legal designers to disclose the actual time cost of every new regulation.
Summary
The state precisely budgets every zloty, yet treats the time of its citizens as an unsupervised resource. Every unnecessary hour spent in a government office is, de facto, a form of illegal taxation on our lives.
It is necessary to transition to a model where administration is held accountable for the number of hours returned to society. This is the only way to stop financing the state's organizational weakness with a currency that cannot be recovered.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can the time citizens spend on administrative matters be reliably measured?
Reliable measurement requires an analysis of the entire process of exercising a right or fulfilling an obligation, rather than just the time spent filling out a form. Learning, compliance, and psychological costs must be taken into account, including, among others, searching for information, gathering data, and waiting time for a response.
How can administrative burdens imposed on entrepreneurs and citizens be professionally measured and valued?
A professional tool for measuring administrative burdens is the Standard Cost Model (SCM), which involves identifying information obligations and assigning cost parameters to them, such as time, labor price, and frequency of operations. For valuation, expenditures on software, fees, and external services can be added, while distinguishing between the cost of a specific activity and the cost of maintaining the capacity to perform it.
How should the cost of time for citizens and entrepreneurs be measured so that it is not reduced solely to lost earnings?
Several parallel measures should be applied: full labor costs for enterprises, a reference value of time for citizens, and reporting hours alone without monetization. It is also worth examining the share of procedural cost in available time, the frequency and redundancy of obligations, the number of contact points, and distinguishing passive procedural time from decision-blockage time.
What indicators, besides form-filling time, allow for the measurement of real administrative burdens?
Real administrative burdens can be measured using the rework rate indicator, which determines the percentage of cases requiring a task to be redone due to errors or corrections. Additionally, non-take-up (the difference between those entitled and those utilizing a benefit), procedural denials, and churn—meaning exiting and re-entering the system—are analyzed.
How can intangible administrative costs, such as citizen frustration or stress, be measured?
Intangible costs are measured through systematic audits (so-called sludge audits), standardized user experience research, and the analysis of system logs in digital administration. Qualitative and observational studies involving various groups of citizens, as well as the administrative mystery shopper method, are also used.
What specific tools can be used to control administrative burdens, and how can they be implemented in the Polish legal system?
Administrative burdens can be controlled using one-in, one-out or one-in, two-out rules, as well as tools such as the Standard Cost Model and the Regulatory Burden Calculator. In the Polish system, these can be implemented by promoting the principle of balancing administrative obligations and introducing a Time Tax Impact Assessment as a mandatory module of the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA).
Why is simply counting minutes in forms insufficient for assessing administrative burdens?
Counting minutes alone does not account for the regressive nature of obligations, which burden smaller companies and administratively vulnerable individuals significantly more than large entities. This measurement also overlooks the fixed costs of system implementation and the adaptation cost resulting from frequent regulatory changes that force re-learning and process updates.
How should the state systematically manage citizens' time so that it does not become a hidden cost of administrative functioning?
The state should maintain a systemic account of the time taken from society, analogous to a financial budget, and regularly conduct audits of this resource's consumption. This management must be based on eliminating activities without social value and striving for the lowest necessary burden on the citizen while maintaining standards of rule of law and security.
