Poland's Adam Smith Centre free market economic think tank has proposed sweeping cuts in state bureaucracy, following extensive research which finds red tape is strangling the life out of the business sector.

Research conducted by the Malmaison Institute on the centre's behalf revealed that Poles are pessimistic about the bureaucratic status quo, which is seen by many as a hangover from communism.

Seventy one percent of employees of small and medium-sized businesses believe that rather than becoming less stream-lined, the bureaucracy has become larger. 67 percent of respondents cannot foresee any improvements on the horizon.

At present, Poland employs 997,034 civil servants, demonstrating a steady rise in employees since 2005. 45 percent of respondents feel that the current situation has not affected the amount of time needed to process their financial and legal affairs. (nh)