At the beginning of October, the new Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced plans to introduce a zero rate tax for Polish cider and perry. The government is ready to give up tax revenues to improve the situation of cider makers. The change could be in force from the January/February of 2018 but this requires the amendment of the tax acts.
Is there a chance that in Poland, which is the largest producer of apples in Europe, cider will be cheaper than beer? According to experts, cider could be cheaper than beer if the apples were cheaper than cereals. In the third quarter of the calendar year 2017 apple prices increased by PLN 30-50 per one kilogram (£0.06-0.11).
However, plans to reduce the tax on ciders may help because the cider market in Poland is in a difficult situation. Summertime was very weak due to weather conditions, which was a big barrier to the development of this category which sells best during high heat.
Polish Wine Council hopes that Ministry of Agriculture will introduce the definition of flavoured cider, which will allow Polish entrepreneurs to produce ciders with new flavours. Read more about definition of Polish cider here.
If changes to the regulations are introduced before the start of the summer season, it is expected that the next-year results of the category will have an upward trend.