Fuel Prices Surge in Poland After CPN Program Ends
CPN Program Expiration Triggers Price Spike
Poland’s fuel relief initiative, known as the CPN program, officially expired on August 31, 2026, triggering an immediate surge in domestic petroleum prices.
According to data tracked by e-petrol.pl, average retail prices across Polish filling stations reached 7.99 PLN per liter for unleaded 95 gasoline, 8.84 PLN for 98-octane gasoline, and 8.99 PLN for diesel as of September 23, 2026.
Tax Reversal Strains State Coffers
The expiration of the temporary fiscal intervention coincided with a reversal of the value-added tax rate on motor fuels from the reduced 8 percent level back to the standard 23 percent.
Financial records released by the Ministry of Finance indicate that the entire CPN mechanism cost approximately 5,2 mld zł from state coffers. Of that total, the period between August 17 and August 31 alone cost the budget 495 mln zł, according to official governmental tallies.
Wholesale Shock Compounds Pressures
Wholesale market pricing compounded the retail shock. National producers priced 95-octane gasoline at an average of 6,077.80 PLN per cubic meter, while diesel was priced at 7,167.60 PLN per cubic meter.
These wholesale levels reflect increases of 447.20 PLN for gasoline and 554 PLN for diesel compared to valuations recorded at the close of August. Geopolitical tensions across the Middle East continue to affect fuel prices.
Grim Forecasts for Enterprise Supply Chains
Market projections for the upcoming trading period between September 28 and October 4 indicate little immediate relief. Forecasts published by e-petrol.pl suggest unleaded 95 gasoline will trade between 7.97 and 8.09 PLN per liter, while diesel risks climbing as high as 9.29 PLN per liter.
Speaking on TVP Info, Minister of Energy Miłosz Motyka stated that analysts do not expect retail rates to breach the psychological threshold of 10 PLN per liter, though he cautioned that domestic stability remains naturally dependent on the evolution of the Middle Eastern crisis.
Windfall Tax Passes Amid Revenue Surges
Legislative efforts to curb corporate windfall gains have faced hurdles. On September 18, the Sejm passed a bill establishing a windfall tax on fuel conglomerates, designed to capture extraordinary revenues generated between March 2026 and the end of the first quarter of 2027.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk indicated that the administration intends to introduce solutions to lower fuel prices if the president signs the statute. Financial disclosures from Grupa ORLEN underscore the revenue expansion that prompted the legislative action, reporting second-quarter 2026 revenues of 76,5 mld zł—a 25.8 percent increase year-over-year—alongside an EBITDA LIFO of 13,9 mld zł.
Constitutional Tribunal Review Threatens Enforcement
Despite parliamentary passage, structural enforcement remains contested. At the close of July, President Karol Nawrocki referred the windfall tax framework to the Constitutional Tribunal under preventive control procedures, raising legal objections regarding the retroactive taxation of revenues earned prior to the law’s formal enactment.