Protection against alcoholism
As of 1 January 2026, excise duties on ethyl alcohol, beer, wine, fermented beverages and intermediate products will be increased by 15% compared to 2025 rates. From 1 January 2027, excise duties on these products will increase by 10% – stated the Ministry of Finance. As added, this is simply a reaction to the request to counteract the harmful effects of alcohol on the wellness of Poles.
Even before the authoritative announcement of plans by the Ministry of Finance, the alcohol manufacture informed about them unofficially. As he stated Business Pulse, alcohol producers were to receive a signal that in 2026 excise duties would increase by 15 percent and in 2027 by another 10 percent. Earlier increases were assumed at 5% per year.
Emilia Rabenda, president of the Association of Employers of Poland Spiritus Industry, calculated in a conversation with the diary that only in the case of vodka a 40% increase in excise work would translate into an increase in the price of the bottle by about PLN 4. She pointed out that excise duties account for 60% of the product price, and in combination with rising energy, labour and natural materials costs, this will lead to an even greater increase in the price of strong alcohol, which could affect sales.
Obese Poles
The Ministry of Finance besides announced an increase in the sugar levy, explaining that limiting the economical availability of sweetened drinks is linked to the increasing problem of obesity and expanding wellness costs in this area.
At present, the sugar levy consists of a fixed part – 0.5 PLN per 100 ml drink containing up to 5 g sugar or sweetener – and a variable of 0.05 PLN per gram of sugar above this limit. In addition, beverages with caffeine or taurine are charged PLN 0.1 per litre, and the maximum taxation amount is PLN 1.2 per litre. According to Deputy Minister of Finance Jarosław Neneman, from next year the rates will increase: the fee stood from PLN 0.5 to PLN 0.7, variable from PLN 0.05 to PLN 0.1, and in the case of beverages with caffeine or taurine from PLN 0.1 to PLN 1. The limit of the full fee will besides be increased – from PLN 1.2 to PLN 1.8 per litre of drink.
The hotel besides announces a simplification of the collection strategy – alternatively of retail operators, the work to pay the fee is to be transferred straight to producers, importers and intra-Community purchasing companies.
Care or budget?
The Ministry of Finance explains changes in public wellness care – higher prices want to reduce the consumption of alcohol and sweet drinks, which contribute to civilizational diseases specified as obesity or diabetes. Critics, however, point out that specified solutions are primarily fiscal in nature, due to the fact that they will importantly increase the budgetary revenue. In turn, manufacture officials inform that sharp increases can hit consumers and, especially in the case of alcohol, drive the grey zone.
