Poland wants to quadruple the tax on small bottles of alcohol: prices may rise sharply
In Poland, small bottles of strong alcohol may soon become significantly more expensive. We are talking about so-called "małpki" (Polish for small bottles) — small bottles of vodka and other strong drinks with a volume of 100 to 300 ml, which are widely sold in Polish stores. The government plans to quadruple the special tax on alcoholic beverages in packaging up to 300 ml. It is expected that this will help reduce alcohol consumption while significantly increasing budget revenues.
The Ministry of Finance proposes to increase the tax fourfold
As reported by Wirtualna Polska, the Polish Ministry of Finance plans to increase the special tax on alcohol sold in small bottles and packages up to 300 ml.
Currently, the rate is 25 zlotys per liter of pure alcohol. After the changes, it may rise to 100 zlotys.
For example, for a popular 100-milliliter bottle of vodka with 40% strength, the tax will increase from 1 to 4 zlotys. Although this does not mean an automatic price increase of exactly 3 zlotys for each such bottle, alcohol in small packages will generally become noticeably more expensive.
The government has already supported the idea
The issue of increasing the tax on small bottles of alcohol has been discussed in Poland for several months. However, as Wirtualna Polska notes, a political decision has now been made.
It is expected that the relevant project will soon be included in the list of government legislative initiatives.
To implement the changes, a law must be passed, so the final decision must go through parliament.
Budget revenues may triple
Currently, the special tax on alcohol in small packages brings the Polish budget about 500–600 million zlotys per year.
According to the publication, revenues have gradually decreased in recent years: from over 600 million zlotys in 2022 to approximately 560 million zlotys now.
After the tax increase, the government expects significantly higher revenues. Even if sales of small bottles of alcohol decrease by 20%, tax revenues could exceed 1.7 billion zlotys per year.
All funds may be allocated to the healthcare system
The Polish authorities are also considering changing the mechanism for distributing the received funds.
Currently, revenues from the tax are divided equally between the National Health Fund of Poland (NFZ) and local government bodies.
However, the government is discussing the possibility of directing all funds exclusively to healthcare financing.
This may cause disputes with local authorities, as communities risk losing part of the funding currently used, among other things, for alcohol addiction prevention programs. Some local government representatives have already expressed disagreement with this initiative.
Why attention was focused on small bottles
In Poland, small bottles of alcohol have long been a subject of discussion among doctors and addiction prevention specialists.
Experts emphasize that due to their small volume, affordable price, and convenience, such bottles may contribute to hidden alcohol consumption. In particular, this refers to drinking alcohol in the morning or hiding alcohol dependence.
Alcohol market analysts also regularly draw attention to the scale of sales: millions of such packages are sold daily in Poland.
This may be just the beginning of changes
It is noted that increasing the tax on alcohol in small bottles may be only the first stage of a broader reform.
The government also plans to return to discussions on changes in excise taxation of alcoholic beverages and the so-called sugar tax. Previous legislative initiatives on these issues were blocked, but the authorities intend to bring them up for consideration again.
One of the main arguments in favor of new decisions is the need to increase funding for the healthcare system.
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