A MINUTES Alert for Electronics Buyers. Government bypasses the Sejm, introduces a hidden taxation from 2026

Poles prepare for raises! As of January 2026, any fresh phone, laptop or tv will be more expensive. The government introduces a controversial reprographic fee that will add an additional 1-2% to the price of electronics. Worst of all, this fresh tribute will be introduced in a way that raises immense controversy: a regulation of the Minister of Culture, without any debate in the Sejm and without the anticipation of a veto of the President. This means that the decision to charge our portfolios has fallen behind closed doors, disregarding key democratic procedures.

The Ministry of Culture has just completed a public consultation on this fee, but their short, only 30-day deadline (July 23 to August 22, 2025) and the fact that they are only a formality before the regulation was introduced has provoked a wave of outrage. Although the fee will formally burden producers and importers, the practice shows that costs will be full passed on to consumers – precisely like another excise or sugar taxes. A price is set to hit any Pole planning to buy modern equipment.

What precisely will it cost? List of devices with fresh charge.

The list of equipment covered by the fresh fee is highly long and includes virtually all devices that have become an integral part of our regular life. The Ministry of Culture, although reducing the number of categories from 65 to 19, included them modern devices without which it is hard to imagine functioning in the 21st century. This means that the increases will affect all of us, whether we buy equipment at home or at the company.

Smartphones with memory from 32 GB will cost 1% more. erstwhile buying a telephone for PLN 3000, this is an additional PLN 30 we gotta pay. Tablets and laptops will besides be charged a 1% fee, which in the case of more costly models for professionals can mean even a fewer 100 PLN extra costs. Moreover, TVs with recording function or built-in memory – and modern smart tv almost all have specified features – will besides increase by 1%. It practically guarantees that each fresh tv bought after 1 January 2026 will be more expensive.

The list besides included printers, scanners, copy machines, SSDs and HDDs, flash drive, memory cards, and even A4 and A3 paper. This is an impact not only on private consumers, but besides on thousands of tiny and medium-sized companies that will experience increases in all area associated with office electronics. The acquisition of 50 laptops for employees can cost the company an additional PLN 2-3 1000 only for this fresh fee.

Government skips the Sejm: How was the taxation introduced without debate?

The biggest scandal around the fresh charge is how to introduce it. In 2021, president Andrzej Duda made it clear that he would not sign a bill introducing a reprographic fee. But now the government has found a way to completely avoid this obstacle. The fresh rules will be introduced by a regulation of the Minister of Culture, which does not require the approval of Parliament or the signature of the President. This means that there was no real public debate, and the head of state had no way of vetoing this decision.

A brief public consultation, which lasted only a month, was only a formality. The Ministry will decide at its own discretion, ignoring the voices of the opponents. specified a way of introducing public tribute, without democratic procedures, is a dangerous precedent. It undermines trust in the state and shows that the government can impose fresh financial burdens without looking at the will of citizens or democratic control mechanisms.

Who's gonna take millions? nonsubjective and beneficiaries of the fresh tax.

Every year, even PLN 200 million – all these measures will come straight from consumers’ pockets. Importantly, this money will not supply the state budget, but will go to organisations specified as ZAiKS, ZPAV or ZASP. It is these entities that are to divide them among artists as "compensation for copying" works for private use. It sounds noble, but reality is much more complex and controversial.

Poles already pay for legal content in streaming services. Only in 2024 Polish artists made almost PLN 190 million. Additionally, there are proceeds from Netflix, YouTube Premium, Apple Music and tens of another platforms for which we regularly pay fees. In the era of streaming where most of the content is played online, the concept of "compensation for copying" seems to be anachronistic and absurd. How many people actually copy movies or music on their telephone or laptop? Most users simply stream content they already pay for.

Effects for Poles: Buy now or wait for increases?

If you are planning to acquisition fresh electronic equipment, You better not wait.. As of January 2026 practically everything will be more costly by extra charge. With more costly purchases, specified as a fresh tv or an advanced laptop, the price difference can scope respective twelve or even over a 100 zlotys. This is simply a real burden for home budgets, especially in the face of an overall increase in the cost of living.

This will be peculiarly painful for companies that buy office equipment wholesale. Buying 50 laptops for employees can cost an additional PLN 2-3 1000 only for the fresh fee. tiny companies, frequently operating on the margin of profitability, will feel this highly powerfully in their budgets. You can anticipate December 2025 to bring a sharp increase in electronics saleswhen consumers and businesses want to avoid additional costs. Stores are already preparing for this scenario, planning peculiar promotions and increased supplies.

Voice of objection: Who is protesting “modern tax”?

The main consumer and manufacture organisations objected to the Ministry of Culture's plans. The Consumer Federation warns that an additional fee will limit the availability of modern devices, especially for the little prosperous and elder people for whom any additional expenditure is significant. Digital Union Poland called the fee ‘Modern tax’, which will hit Polish entrepreneurs and consumers without guaranteeing real benefits for artists.

Paradoxically, while Poland introduces a fresh charge, another European countries waive it. The United Kingdom, Finland and partially Spain have abolished reprographic fees, arguing that they are obsolete in the streaming era. So Poland goes against the trend of global trends, introducing solutions from the erstwhile era. Even politicians are trying to respond – the Confederacy announced the submission of a bill in the Sejm that completely eliminates the fee. However, this may be besides late, as the Ministry's regulation will enter into force sooner than any parliamentary procedure.

Is this just the beginning? A imagination of future fees.

The worst thing may be that the reprographic fee is only the beginning. The Ministry of Culture may extend the list of paid equipment in the future, as well as rise rates – all of this through successive regulations, without the participation of the Sejm and the President. The task already mentions the anticipation to charge cloud services. This means that in the future we can anticipate additional charges for utilizing Google Drive, iCloud or OneDrive. Any fresh technology can become an excuse for another dan.

This is simply a dangerous precedent for democracy and the wallets of Poles. The government can introduce fresh taxes without parliament, calling them "reprographic charges" or another euphemisms. Democracy requires public debate and transparency, not a culinary decision in ministries. Be vigilant and plan buying in advance to avoid unnecessary costs.