Poland plans 26% excise increase on cider and perry from 2027
Poland’s Finance Ministry plans to raise excise duty on cider and perry with up to 5% alcohol by 26% from January 1, 2027. Producers warn that higher prices could reverse recent market growth and weaken demand for domestically grown apples.
Finance Ministry changes course on cider taxation
Poland’s Finance Ministry plans to increase excise duty on cider and perry containing up to 5% alcohol by 26% from January 1, 2027, according to Infor.pl. The proposed increase is steeper than for any other alcoholic beverage category covered by the project. Beer, wine and vodka are set for a 15% increase against the rates already scheduled for 2027, equivalent to 20% compared with current rates.
The proposal would reverse an earlier policy under which low-alcohol cider and perry were excluded from annual excise increases. That exemption was intended to support a small domestic market based on Polish apples and help cider compete with flavored beer products. The industry says companies made investment and production plans around the excise roadmap previously adopted by the government.
Small market had returned to growth
Central Statistical Office data cited by Infor.pl show that sold cider production rose by 3.7% in 2025 and by another 6.9% between January and May 2026. Despite that growth, the Polish cider market remains small at an estimated 5 million liters annually. It generates approximately 5 million złoty in excise revenue each year.
The Polish Wine Council employers’ association has asked the Finance Ministry to abandon the proposal. Its president, Magdalena Zielińska, said the draft offered no analysis explaining why cider should face a substantially larger increase than other alcoholic drinks. Producers argue that the fiscal gain would be limited because cider consumption and existing tax receipts are both low. They expect the higher duty to raise retail prices, reduce competitiveness against beer and leave manufacturers with less money for investment.
Orchard growers and local producers face pressure
The dispute also concerns agricultural demand. Poland is the European Union’s largest apple producer and the world’s fourth-largest, according to the source. Domestic cider therefore provides an outlet for locally grown fruit, while the companies most exposed to the tax increase include Polish producers such as Bartex, which makes the Sadowski brand, and JNT Group, producer of Dobroński. Bartex vice-president Grzegorz Bartol warned that orchard growers would be affected alongside manufacturers.
Industry representatives say flavored beer products compete for the same consumers under more favorable market conditions. JNT Group president Jakub Nowak said nearly 60% of the alcohol consumed in Poland comes from beer and that more than 8 million cans of beer are sold in the country each day. He also said his company has access to more than 30 markets and could find it easier to sell cider abroad than in Poland if the proposal takes effect. Producers’ objections now sit with the Finance Ministry, leaving companies to assess pricing, investment and fruit-purchasing plans ahead of 2027.
