Rules by country / Europe / Netherlands sugar tax 2026

Soft drinksFlavoured dairy drinksNetherlands

Netherlands sugar tax 2026: what the drinks tax costs you

Dutch soft drinks pay a flat 26.13 cents a litre, and flavoured dairy drinks pay it too since 2026. A tax based on sugar content is being weighed. We work out what each option costs your range and how to price for it.

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From £7,500 (about €9,000), fixed About 3 weeks for up to 10 products Under NDA from the first day
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Check the drinks tax on one drink

What it pays today. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Checking
Per pack
A year

That's the easy part. Whether to pass it on or absorb it, and how to prepare for sugar bands, depends on how your shoppers react to price. That's what we measure.

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At the rate in the law since 2024 (Article 10: €26.13 per hectolitre). The rate article changes on 1 January 2027.

What you get

A drinks tax review for the Netherlands

What the tax costs each product today and under the sugar-based options being weighed, with a price plan for each retailer.

  • The tax on every product today, and under the sugar-based options
  • Which products to reprice, and by how much, with the effect on volume and profit
  • How shoppers switch between your products when prices move
  • A price plan for each retailer, and an Excel model to test new rates
Book a free 15-minute call See a sample report
Example

How your results look

ProductTax per packOur advice
Cola, 330ml can8.6 centsPass on in full
Lemonade, 1.5 litres39.2 centsAbsorb part of it
Flavoured milk, 500ml13.1 centsNewly taxed: pass on

Fictional products. Every real result comes with the expected sales and profit, and a likely range.

Your options

Every option has a fixed price, agreed before we start.

Up to 10 products

Drinks tax review

from £7,500
about €9,000
About 3 weeks
  • The drinks tax and best choice for each product
  • Price plan for each retailer
  • Scenario model and a walk-through
11 to 50 products

Pricing review with the drinks tax

around £17,500
about €21,000
4 to 5 weeks
  • Everything in the drinks tax review
  • Prices and promotions for the whole range
  • How your products take sales from each other
More than 50 products

Portfolio review

Quoted
Scoped on the call
  • Everything in the pricing review
  • More retailers and data sources
  • A plan for each channel

After the project: a refresh before each pricing round, from £2,000 (about €2,400). Prices are fixed in pounds sterling; amounts in euros are a guide at October 2026 exchange rates. We're based in the UK and work remotely, in English, under NDA.

How it works

From the first call to your plan in about three weeks.

  1. A free 15-minute call

    Tell us about your range. We say whether a review would pay for itself, and quote a fixed price.

  2. Your data

    Sales by product and retailer, recipes and costs. We sign an NDA before anything moves.

  3. Your plan

    The tax on every product, the options under sugar bands and a price plan, walked through with your team.

Netherlands drinks tax: the detail

Open only what you need.

Rate
€26.13 per hectolitre (26.13 cents a litre), the same whatever the sugar content
In scope
Nearly all non-alcoholic drinks
Exempt
Mineral water (since 2024), and plain milk, buttermilk and soy drinks with up to 5% sugar and 1.1% saturated fat
New in 2026
Sweetened and flavoured dairy drinks are taxed
Next
The rate article of the law changes on 1 January 2027; the amount was not shown yet when we checked. The government is weighing rates based on sugar content.
History
Raised from €8.83 to €26.13 per hectolitre in 2024
When shoppers barely react to price

Pass it on

Raise the price by the tax or more. Works for products whose sales hold up when the price rises.

When a price point matters

Absorb it

Keep the price and take the cost. Works when a rise would push a product past a key price point and lose more profit than the tax.

When sugar bands come in

Plan for sugar bands

Low-sugar products could pay less and high-sugar ones more. Know each product's numbers before the decision.

Does the Netherlands have a sugar tax?

Not one based on sugar. Non-alcoholic drinks pay a flat consumption tax of €26.13 per hectolitre, whatever their sugar content. The government is weighing a switch to rates based on sugar.

How much is the Dutch tax on soft drinks?

26.13 cents a litre, or about 8.6 cents on a 330ml can.

Are dairy drinks taxed in the Netherlands?

Since 2026, sweetened and flavoured dairy drinks are. Plain milk, buttermilk and soy drinks with up to 5% sugar and 1.1% saturated fat stay exempt.

Will the Netherlands introduce a sugar tax?

Possibly. The cabinet has worked out rates based on sugar content, and the rate article of the law changes on 1 January 2027. The choice of design has been left to parliament.

How much does a drinks tax review cost?

A review of up to 10 products has a fixed price from £7,500 (about €9,000) and takes about three weeks. For 11 to 50 products, a full pricing review with the drinks tax built in costs around £17,500 (about €21,000). It starts with a free 15-minute call.

Do you work with brands in the Netherlands?

Yes. We're based in the UK and work remotely and in English, under NDA. Prices are fixed in pounds sterling before we start, and the first step is a free 15-minute call.

Also changing prices in the Netherlands

Ask about these on the same call.

Deposit (statiegeld)In force15 or 25 cents per plastic bottle or canPrice and pack plan
Alcohol discount capIn force25% the most off an alcohol pricePromotion plan
Alcohol exciseFrom 1 Jan 2027Indexed to inflation every yearDuty pass-on plan

Drinks tax review|from £7,500 (about €9,000)|about 3 weeks

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