2026 Draft Budget: Taxes increase on fuels, technology, and several everyday goods

In the new draft budget for 2026, several taxes and duties are expected to increase, directly affecting citizens’ pockets. The excise tax on consumer goods such as beer, diesel, and coffee will rise by 1.5%, while the carbon tax will increase from 3 lekë to 4.5 lekë per kilogram. This is expected to lead to higher energy and everyday product prices.

A significant increase is also planned for the technology sector, where the corporate income tax will rise from 5% to 15%, ending the current tax incentives for this industry.

However, the government has also announced some relief measures. Tax obligations and fines accumulated up to 2014 will be forgiven, while for later years, conditional reliefs will apply. For farmers, VAT compensation will rise to 10% of sales invoice value to encourage formalization and boost domestic production competitiveness. In the real estate sector, the revaluation tax is proposed to decrease from 15% to 5%.

The fiscal package also includes changes to tax procedures, introducing the use of electronic signatures for administrative acts, online publication of business data, a lower cash payment limit, and mandatory “POS” terminals for businesses.

The combination of tax increases and easing measures aims to generate additional budget revenue but is expected to have a noticeable impact on consumer prices and living costs for both citizens and businesses.

“KORÇA BOOM”