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An amendment proposing to raise excise tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products has passed through the lower house in its first reading. The first increase in excise tax is set to take place in January 2016, raising the price of a packet of cigarettes by three to four crowns. The price should rise further by one to two crowns in the following years. The amendment will be now assessed by the budget committee of the lower house.

The Czech Republic has seen a marked increase in the incidence of Hepatitis A. Almost 350 people have come down with the infectious disease since January. Last year, it was only 233 people for the same period. The incidence of Hepatitis A, as well as other types of the diseases, increases during summer holidays, when people travel to countries with poor hygienic conditions.

The lower house of the Czech Parliament on Wednesday approved the abolishment of the second pillar of the pension scheme, introduced by the former centre-right cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Nečas. As of the beginning of next year, clients won’t be able to use it. It is another step in the process of scrapping the second pillar, which enabled people to put part of their pension funds into private insurance companies. Earlier this year, the lower house passed an amendment that prevented new clients from entering the private pension scheme. People who joined it should get their investments back by the end of 2016. Scrapping the second pillar of the pension scheme was one of the election promises of the ruling coalition.

The lower house of the Czech Parliament on Wednesday approved a government draft legislation proposing to broaden the powers of the intelligence services. Under the draft legislation, intelligence services will have access to information on bank accounts, protected by bank secrecy. It will be available mainly in cases concerning terrorism or organised crime. So far, information could only be provided by the intelligence to the central financial bodies, but not vice versa. The draft bill also entitles intelligence services to data from telecommunication operators, which would enable them to identify the owner of a particular telephone number. The draft still needs to win approval in the Senate.