Excise Tax Increase on E-Liquids in 2026 – The Real Effect on Vape Prices in Bulgaria

From 1 January 2026 the excise duty on e-liquids in Bulgaria will rise to 0.48 BGN/ml. See how much Veev One pods, nicotine shots and 10 ml e-liquids will go up, and why Bulgaria taxes vaping more aggressively than neighbouring countries while keeping cigarette excise among the lowest in the EU.

1. What exactly changes in the excise duty on e-liquids in 2026?

With the latest amendments to the Excise Duties and Tax Warehouses Act, Bulgaria introduced a stepwise increase of the excise duty on e-liquids (regardless of whether they contain nicotine).

The schedule of rates looks like this:

So in 2026 the excise rises from 0.45 to 0.48 BGN/ml, which is an extra +6.7% in just one year, on top of several previous increases.

With the fixed exchange rate 1 EUR = 1.95583 BGN, 0.48 BGN/ml ≈ 0.25 EUR/ml. This places Bulgaria significantly above many countries in the region in terms of excise on e-liquids.

2. How much exactly will vape products become more expensive in 2026?

За да е ясно и за крайния потребител, нека разгледаме конкретни примери.

2.1. Veev One pod (2 ml) – example of a closed pod system

Old rate (0.45 BGN/ml):

• Excise: 0.45 BGN/ml × 2 ml = 0.90 BGN
• With VAT (20%): 0.90 × 1.20 = 1.08 BGN excise included in the final price

New rate (0.48 BGN/ml) from 2026:

• Excise: 0.48 BGN/ml × 2 ml = 0.96 BGN
• With VAT: 0.96 × 1.20 = 1.152 BGN excise in the final price

Difference caused only by excise:

• Increase in excise without VAT: 0.48 – 0.45 = 0.03 BGN/ml → 0.06 BGN for 2 ml (6 stotinki)
• With VAT: 0.06 × 1.20 = 0.072 BGN → 7.2 stotinki increase

So only from the excise change, a 2 ml Veev One pod will become more expensive by roughly:

• 0.06 BGN (without VAT)
• 0.072 BGN with VAT, and the excise in one 2 ml pod will be 1.152 BGN including VAT.

If manufacturers and retailers also apply “psychological rounding” upwards, the real increase on the shelf is likely to be around +0.10 BGN per pod.

2.2. 10 ml nicotine and nicotine-free e-liquids, flavour concentrates and nicotine shots

Old rate (0.45 BGN/ml):

• Excise: 0.45 × 10 ml = 4.50 BGN
• With VAT: 4.50 × 1.20 = 5.40 BGN excise included in the final price

New rate (0.48 BGN/ml):

• Excise: 0.48 × 10 ml = 4.80 BGN
• With VAT: 4.80 × 1.20 = 5.76 BGN excise in the final price

Difference caused only by excise:

• Without VAT: 0.03 × 10 = 0.30 BGN
• With VAT: 0.30 × 1.20 = 0.36 BGN → 36 stotinki extra per 10 ml bottle

This means that in 2026 the excise alone in a 10 ml bottle will be 5.76 BGN including VAT, and final retail prices will have to reflect that. For budget e-liquids this may push prices above 9–10 BGN per 10 ml, and for premium products – even higher.

3. Bulgaria vs. its neighbours: excise on e-liquids in Greece, Romania and comparison with Germany

За да видим колко агресивно България облага вейпинг продуктите, е важно да сравним ставките за акциз върху е-течностите в региона и с по-богати държави.

3.1. Comparative excise rates on e-liquids (2025–2026)

Based on publicly available data for e-liquid taxation:

• Bulgaria (from 1.01.2026): about 0.25 EUR/ml (0.48 BGN/ml)
• Greece: 0.10 EUR/ml on nicotine-containing e-liquids.
• Romania: around 0.18 EUR/ml (0.91 RON/ml) – with further increases planned over the next years.
• Germany: 0.26 EUR/ml in 2025 and 0.32 EUR/ml from 2026 for all e-liquids, including nicotine-free.

What does this mean?

• Bulgaria taxes e-liquids more than 2.5 times higher than Greece.
• The Bulgarian rate is higher than Romania’s and approaches Germany’s, even though Germany is many times richer in terms of GDP per capita and average income.
• At the same time, Greece and Romania are also EU members and follow public-health policies to reduce smoking – but without such a strong mismatch between incomes and vaping excise.

Because of this, many consumers and businesses see Bulgaria’s policy as disproportionately heavy compared to Bulgarians’ purchasing power – especially given that these are reduced-risk products compared with combustible cigarettes.

4. Excise duty on conventional cigarettes: Bulgaria – still among the lowest in the EU

The real contrast appears when we look at conventional cigarettes.

According to European economic analyses:

• Bulgaria has the lowest excise rates on cigarettes in the entire EU.
• The minimum excise is around 107–110 EUR per 1,000 cigarettes, just slightly above the EU-required minimum of 90 EUR, but far below the levels in most Western countries.

In 2025 and 2026 Bulgaria adopted modest increases:

• From about 107.6 EUR to 113 EUR per 1,000 cigarettes as of 1 January 2026, which leads to an increase of roughly 0.30 BGN per pack, assuming margins remain unchanged.

Even after these steps, Bulgaria remains at the bottom of the EU in terms of total tax burden on cigarettes.

5. Average cigarette pack prices: Bulgaria vs. Europe and the UK

Let’s compare actual retail prices – the average price of a 20-cigarette pack (mass-market brands like Marlboro).

Bulgaria

• Media reports show that in 2025 prices went up by another 0.40–0.50 BGN per pack due to the recent excise changes.
• Медии съобщават, че през 2025 г. цената се е покачила с още 40–50 ст. на кутия заради последните промени в акциза.

Even with the stepwise increases in 2025–2026, a pack of cigarettes in Bulgaria remains one of the cheapest in the EU.

Greece

• Average price of Marlboro: around 4.80–5.90 EUR per pack, depending on city and source.

Romania

• In Bucharest a pack of Marlboro costs around 27 RON, roughly 5.4 EUR.

Germany

• Average price for a pack of Marlboro: about 8.20 EUR. 8,20 €.

United Kingdom (England)

• In London a pack of cigarettes costs around 16 GBP (≈ 18–19 EUR).

Conclusion:

• Bulgaria keeps very low cigarette prices compared with almost all Western countries and even with some neighbours in the region.
• At the same time it taxes e-liquids much more aggressively than neighbouring states like Greece and Romania and is approaching the rates of richer countries such as Germany.

6. Why does this feel unfair?

From the point of view of many consumers and part of the industry, the logic should be:

• Продуктите с намалена вреда (вейп течности, никотинови шотове, електронни цигари) би трябвало да са данъчно стимулирани спрямо горимите цигари – така се поощрява преминаването от по-вреден към по-малко вреден продукт.
• На практика обаче в България се получава обратното:
  • Цигарите – най-вредният продукт – остават с най-ниски акцизи и едни от най-ниските цени в ЕС.
  • Вейп течностите и алтернативните продукти – облагани с ръстове година след година, с перспектива да стигнат 0,54–0,60 лв./мл след 2027 г.

Given the low purchasing power of Bulgarian consumers compared with countries like Germany, many people understandably feel that:

• It is not fair to make reduced-harm products more and more expensive faster and stronger than conventional cigarettes.
• Tax policy effectively discourages switching to less harmful options and keeps the most dangerous product (combustible cigarettes) easily affordable.

7. What does this mean in practice for consumers and businesses in 2026?

For the end consumer

1. Очакван лек, но постоянен ръст в цените на вейп продуктите
   • +7,2 ст. на 2 мл под (като Veev One) само от акциз + ДДС.
   • +36 ст. на всяко 10 мл шише течност/аромат/никотинов шот.
   • В реалния магазин, след търговските надценки, това често означава закръгляне с +0,10–0,50 лв. на продукт.
2. Все по-висок дял на акциза в крайната цена
   • През 2026 г. в 10 мл шише само акцизът с ДДС вече е 5,76 лв.
   • При по-евтините течности това прави акциза доминиращ компонент в цената.
3. Вейпингът остава по-скъп спрямо цигарите, отколкото е логично за страна с нашия доход
   • В България можеш да купиш кутия цигари за ~6,50–7,00 лв.,
   • Докато 10 мл премиум течност лесно надхвърля 10–12 лв., като повече от половината от тази цена са данъци и ДДС.

For businesses (manufacturers, importers, vape shops)

1. Свиване на маржа – при силно данъчно натоварване производители и търговци често са принудени или:
   • да намалят печалбата на бройка, или
   • да прехвърлят почти изцяло поскъпването към крайния потребител.
2. По-силна сива икономика – високият акциз увеличава мотивацията за:
   • внос „в багажника“ от страни с по-ниски акцизи,
   • нелегални течности без платен акциз или с фалшиви бандероли.
3. Uncertain planning – with a predefined path of excise increases up to 2027 and beyond, it is difficult for the industry to build long-term pricing and investment strategies.

8. What to expect after 2026?

Under the current legislation, the excise on e-liquids will not stop rising in 2026 – the law already sets increases up to at least 0.54 BGN/ml from 2027, with discussion of even higher levels afterwards.

At the same time:

• Excise on cigarettes is rising more slowly, and despite EU pressure for stronger hikes, Bulgaria remains below the EU average.
• In many Western European countries (Germany, France, Ireland, the UK) a pack of cigarettes already costs 8–12+ EUR, and in Ireland and the UK – over 17–18 EUR.

This further strengthens the impression that Bulgaria intentionally keeps cigarettes cheap, while heavily burdening alternatives, instead of using tax policy as a real tool for harm reduction.

9. Conclusion – where is Bulgarian excise policy on vaping headed?

In summary:

• From 1 January 2026 the excise on e-liquids in Bulgaria will be 0.48 BGN/ml – about 0.25 EUR/ml.
• Това означава:
  • +6 ст. акциз на 2 мл под (7,2 ст. с ДДС)
  • +36 ст. поскъпване на 10 мл шише (с включено ДДС)
  • 1,152 лв. акциз с ДДС само в един 2 мл под
  • 5,76 лв. акциз с ДДС в 10 мл шише
• Bulgaria already taxes e-liquids more heavily than Greece and Romania, and is approaching the levels of rich countries like Germany, despite much lower incomes.
• At the same time, excise on conventional cigarettes remains the lowest in the EU, and cigarette pack prices in Bulgaria are among the lowest in Europe.

From a harm-reduction perspective, this policy is hard to justify to consumers – it discourages switching to less harmful products and maintains the affordability of the most harmful ones.