New fee on smartphones and laptops 2026. Will electronics in Poland become more expensive?

A topic is once again returning online that directly concerns everyone planning to buy a phone, laptop, or television. It concerns the private copying levy, which, after the signing of the new regulation, will cover more electronic devices than before. In practice, this means an update to a system that has operated in Poland for years, but until now has not kept up with what modern technology looks like.

This raises a question that interests most customers: will smartphones and laptops become more expensive?

The private copying levy is a mechanism that has existed for a long time and serves as compensation for creators for the possibility of legally copying content for private use. This applies, for example, to music, films, or books that users can store on their devices.

The problem was that the list of devices was completely outdated. It included equipment that is practically no longer used today, such as DVD burners or optical media.

The new regulation updates this list and adapts it to the digital reality. It now covers, among other things, smartphones, laptops, tablets, and televisions with storage.

Formally, no. The fee is not a tax and does not go directly to the state budget. It goes to collective copyright management organizations, which then transfer the funds to creators.

From the consumer's point of view, however, the effect may be very similar to a tax. The cost of the fee is borne by manufacturers and importers, but in practice it is very often included in the final price of the device.

It is estimated that the fee will amount to around 1% of the equipment's value. At first glance, this is a small change, but in the case of electronics, where prices are already high, every adjustment matters.

More important than the amount itself, however, is how the market and consumers will react to this information. In e-commerce, it is often not the price change itself that affects sales, but customers' expectations regarding that change.

The term “smartphone tax” appeared very quickly on the internet. Slogans of this type have a strong emotional effect because they concern everyday purchases – devices we use every day.

Even if the actual price increase is not large, the information about a “new fee” alone may influence purchasing decisions. Customers often prefer to buy equipment earlier, before prices potentially rise.

From the perspective of electronics sales, such moments are always important. The market rarely reacts linearly – more often, a short-term acceleration of purchases is observed. Some customers, fearing higher prices in the future, make a decision faster than they had planned.

For stores and e-commerce, this means a period of increased purchasing activity that results not from seasonality, but from price expectations. In such situations, it is crucial not only to have the goods, but also to properly manage price communication.

Customers do not analyze regulations. They react to a simple signal: “it will be more expensive”. That is enough to change the pace of purchasing decisions.

Looking from the consumer's perspective, such changes always create a short window of price uncertainty. Some stores may adjust prices earlier, some will do it later, and some will try to use the moment in their communication.

Ultimately, the differences do not have to be large, but in the electronics segment even small price changes can affect conversion and purchasing decisions.

Therefore, in the coming months, what will be crucial is not only how much we ultimately pay for the equipment, but also how the market will communicate these changes.

The new private copying levy does not change everything overnight, but it introduces an element that the electronics market knows well – price pressure and customers' reaction to announcements of changes. For consumers, one question remains the most important: is it worth buying now, or waiting. And in e-commerce, the answer to this question very often determines sales faster than the price itself.