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Polish novelist denounces president’s veto threat on alcohol tax rises

26.08.2025 15:55
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has said he will veto a government plan to raise duties on alcohol – a move branded by one of the country’s leading writers, Jakub Żulczyk, as “the cheapest form of populism.”
Jakub Żulczyk
Jakub Żulczyk Photo: PAP/Marcin Kaliński

The government’s proposal set out a 15% increase in excise duty in 2026, followed by a further 10% rise in 2027.

Ministers argued that higher prices could help curb alcohol consumption in Poland, where strong spirits are among the cheapest in the world and rising wages have made them increasingly affordable.

Welcome to Poland – where cheap alcohol meets cheap populism

Żulczyk, who has spoken openly about his struggles with alcoholism and co-hosts a popular podcast on addiction, criticised the president’s stance in a series of social media posts.

“Alcohol is a socially destructive hard drug that remains widely available, and for decades it has been the only consumer good magically untouched by inflation,” he wrote.

Wetowanie wzrostu akcyzy na alkohol odbieram jako najtańszego sortu populizm. Alkohol, rujnujący społczeństwo,...

Opublikowany przez Jakuba Żulczyka Poniedziałek, 25 sierpnia 2025

A powerful message through Poland’s alternative rock

To underline his point, Żulczyk quoted lyrics by Kazik Staszewski, the singer-songwriter and frontman of Kult, a legendary Polish alternative rock and post-punk band active since 1982:

“Because all they want is for you to harm yourself, so you can’t think, so you can’t walk.”


Karol Nawrocki presented himself as a great defender of freedom, but in reality he turns out to be yet another midwife of enslavement,” the author concluded.

Jakub Żulczyk: a leading voice of Poland’s literary young generation

Known for his unflinching social commentary and his previous legal battle with President Andrzej Duda, who sued him for calling him a “moron” on Facebook, Żulczyk is widely regarded as one of the most prominent and respected literary figures of Poland’s younger generation.

His novels, essays, and public commentary continue to shape debates on social issues, politics, and culture in the country.

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Source: Facebook.com/Jakub Żulczyk/YouTube/@sprecords