VAT, heritage, fuels and entertainment: all the changes that could affect the pocket of Colombians since 2026.
News Colombia.
The National Government presented its third tax reform on Monday, with which it hopes to collect 26.3 billion pesos and ensure the stability of public finances. The initiative, officially called “Financing Law”, was filed in Congress by the Minister of Finance, Germán Ávilaand will be discussed together with the General Budget of the Nation 2026, which amounts to 556.9 billion pesos.
Although the executive ensures that the Basic food basket will not be affectedother products and services will suffer significant VAT increases and new taxes that will impact the consumption and expenditure of Colombian families.
Main changes in VAT
- Food and drinks: Products such as coffee, oatmeal, industrial rice, edible oils, chocolate and pasta will have a VAT of the 5 %while alcoholic beverages such as wine, rum, brandy, whiskey, brandy and vodka will pass to 19 %.
- Fuels and Transportation: Gasoline and diesel will have a VAT of the 10 % since January 2026and of 19 % since January 2027. Hybrid vehicles will see their tax rise from 5 % to 19 %and luxury vehicles with value greater than US $ 30,000 They will have an impoconsume of 19 %.
- Entertainment and tourism: The concert tickets and sporting events greater than $ 500,000 will pay 19 % VATlike the games of random online and software and cloud processing services. Foreign tourists will lose the exemption of VAT in lodging, although they can recover it when they leave the country.
Other taxes and adjustments
- Heritage: The taxable base drops of 72,000 UVT ($ 3.6 billion) to 40,000 UVT ($ 2 billion), and increases the financial sector rates up to 50 %.
- Inheritance: A tax on liquid inheritance will be applied.
- Cigarettes and vapers: Cajetilla of 20 units: Specific tax rises from $ 4,068 to $ 11,200. Oral nicotine: from $ 324 to $ 891 per gram. Liquid presentation (vapers): $ 2,000 per millilitro.
Criticism and political panorama
Analysts and economic sectors consider that this third reform is unlikely to approval, due to Electoral climate in 2026 and the Congressmen’s resistance to commit to initiatives that increase taxes.
He Democratic Centerrepresented by Christian Garcés, points out that Congress will not support inflated budgets or new fiscal charges.
Amcham Colombia urges a responsible debate and emphasizes that the solution to the fiscal crisis must focus on Discipline of expenditure, investment and economic growthNot only in more taxes.
The project is structured in three chapters: reduction of tax spending, income and assets, and other taxes, with a direct impact on families, companies, financial sector and luxury consumptionmaking it clear that the reform seeks significant collection without touching the essential products of the family basket.
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