Poland has been seen for years as a European oasis for amateurs of inexpensive drugs. Exceptionally low prices of alcohol and tobacco products, which attract tourists and surprise Western visitors, have been targeted by the government. In the administrative spheres there is always more talk about a revolution in excise policy that can end the era of inexpensive cigarettes and vodka over the Vistula River. According to unofficial information, decisions on extremist increases may take place this autumn, which will straight hit the wallets of millions of Poles. What is simply a necessity for any to save public wellness and the budget of the state is simply a foreshadowing of social drama and the assassination of consumer freedom. The issue is very emotional and becomes 1 of the hottest topics of the coming months, putting Poland at a crossroads between economical benefits and long-term social costs.
Poland “island of inexpensive stimulants”. Why are alcohol and cigarettes so cheap?
The price contrast between Poland and the remainder of the European Union is striking. While in countries specified as Ireland, Finland or the United Kingdom a pack of cigarettes or a bottle of stronger alcohol is an expense of respective twelve euros, in Poland the same products frequently cost more than twice as much. This difference is not solely due to lower labour costs or general price levels. A key origin is the state's aware policy and, more specifically, the level of excise work rates.
Excise, i.e. taxation on consumer goods to reduce their consumption, is in Poland at 1 of the lowest levels throughout the Community. For years, economics and public wellness experts have pointed out that this is behind the powerful lobby of alcohol and tobacco producers. It effectively blocks any effort to introduce extremist increases, arguing for the protection of jobs and the fight against the grey zone. As a result, for years the ruling people avoided bold decisions, deciding only on cosmetic, inflationary adjustments to rates that did not truly affect the availability of stimulants.
This situation has made Poland a circumstantial "tobacco-alcohol" of Europe. This phenomenon is perfectly visible in border regions where citizens of Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia regularly supply cheaper products. Although it is simply a origin of income for local entrepreneurs, the problem is increasing nationally and its consequences are becoming more visible.
Hidden costs of low prices. Who truly pays for inexpensive alcohol?
The seemingly low price of stimulants is simply a benefit for the consumer, but in a broader position it generates immense costs that we all bear. Public wellness experts have no doubt: cheap and easy available alcohol and cigarettes are a simple way to increase consumptionand consequently to the wave of addictions and diseases associated with them. Poland has been struggling with alcoholism for years, and statistic on lung cancer or liver illness are alarming.
It is peculiarly worrying that the low price makes drugs easy available to young people. Young people with a limited budget can easy afford to buy alcohol or cigarettes, leading to early initiation and building harmful habits for life. The wellness strategy is already overloaded with the treatment of the effects of the abuse of these substances, and these costs are calculated in billions of PLN per year.
But that is not all. The State besides loses on a purely fiscal level. Analysts estimation that if Poland had raised excise work rates to the EU average, the budget could have been affected even respective billion PLN a year more. These funds could be utilized to fund hospitals, wellness prevention programs, and support for those fighting addictions. Instead, while maintaining low taxes, the state indirectly subsidises an manufacture whose products make immense social costs.
The government is preparing a revolution. What precisely is to change and when?
The patience of the decision-makers seems to be over. Unofficial information circulating in the media and in the Sejm corridors shows that the Ministry of Finance is preparing a comprehensive improvement of the excise system. Planned changes are to be bold and hit straight the most popular drugs. There are scenarios on the table that presume a jumpy price increase that hasn't occurred in years.
The most circumstantial announcements concern the tobacco market. There is talk of a plan spread over respective years, in which the price of a pack of cigarettes could increase up to 25% in the next 2 years. akin destiny is expected to meet strong alcohols, specified as vodka or whisky, which are the main origin of alcohol problems in the country. Although the details are inactive covered in secrecy, key political decisions in this case are about to collapse This autumn.. This means that the first increases could be felt in the portfolios early next year.
The government's nonsubjective is not only to increase budgetary gross but besides to accomplish health-promoting objectives. The price increase is intended to effectively reduce the availability of drugs, especially for young people and those with lower incomes. This is simply a strategical turn of the country's policy, which departs from lenientness towards hard regulation, modelled on solutions in Western and Scandinavian countries.
A storm in the net and at the cash register. Poles divided on increases
The announcements of extremist changes caused an immediate and violent social reaction. net forums and social media flooded a wave of comments that show how profoundly divided Poles are in this issue. On the 1 hand, there are voices of outrage informing against the “alcoholic drama of the lower classes”. Opponents of the increase argue that they will strike the most in the poorest, for whom alcohol is the only form of escape from hard reality. They besides rise the argument of expanding the grey region and smuggling from the East.
On the another side of the barricade are supporters of change. Experts, doctors and any public opinion indicate that it is advanced time balance economical interests with public wellness care. They stress that no country can afford specified inexpensive and easy access to substances that harm citizens' wellness and lives. They point out that higher prices are a world-tested way of reducing consumption and reducing the social scale of tragedy.
Emotions are reaching out and the debate is becoming more political. Producers are already announcing the fight to keep the position quo, and patient and health-promoting organisations are lobbying for the fast introduction of changes. The government's final decision will test its determination and resilience to the force of various interest groups. 1 thing is certain: the issue of alcohol and cigarettes prices will long dominate public discussion.
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No more inexpensive alcohol in Poland? The government is preparing large increases in the fall
