Lower house adjourns debate on budget, vote now expected Friday

The lower house of the Czech Parliament has again adjourned a debate on a draft budget for 2010. After devoting several hours to the matter both on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, a vote has been postponed until Friday. Though several speakers have criticised it, MPs from almost all parties are expected to approve in the first reading a budget with a deficit of CZK 162.7 billion (around USD 9.4 billion). That amounts to 5.3 percent of gross domestic product. Compared to this year’s budget, revenues in next year’s will drop by 8.2 percent, while expenditures will increase by 2.8 percent.