Alcohol is more expensive since 2026. The industry in shock after the government’s decision
The Ministry of Finance plans strong excise duty increases for alcohol. From 2026, an increase of 15 %, and a year later by another 10 percent The industry alerts.
The Ministry of Finance is planning significant excise tax increases for alcohol. According to information provided to industry organizations, from January 2026 the rates are to increase by 15 percent, and in 2027 by another 10 percent. He informed “Puls Biznesu” about the case, indicating that alcohol producers were completely surprised by this decision.
The industry is surprised
A representative of one of the large producers told the journal that information about the new rates “fell on the industry like a thunderbolt.” The ministry has not yet announced officially planned changes, but has already transferred them to industry organizations.
During the previous government, producers of alcohol and tobacco negotiated with the Ministry of Finance, the excise map, i.e. a plan of gradual and predictable increases spread over several years. This was to give companies stability and allow the state budget to forecast revenues in the long run. However, after changing power, these assumptions were rejected.
Earlier, a similar fate happened to the tobacco industry – last year the previously established increases were abandoned and a radical increase in excise duty was announced since January 2026. Now the ministry is preparing a similar scenario for alcohol producers.
Beer industry
Representatives of the beer industry express the greatest fears. General Director of the Association of Employers of the Piwowarski Przemysł Polski Brewery, Bartłomiej Morzycki, emphasizes that the scale of the planned increase is an increase three times higher than the earlier excise duties assumed. According to his calculations, in the years 2022–2027 the total accumulation of changes would exceed 60 percent.
The alcohol sector warns that such a rapid increase in rates can have serious consequences – both for producers and consumers. Companies emphasize that they lose the possibility of long -term planning, and the costs of reform will be felt by all market participants.
