News

At the opening of the agricultural trade fair Země Živitelka in České Budějovice, Prime Minister Petr Fiala criticized companies for excessively high food costs. The prime minister welcomed the fact that the price of some basic food stuffs such as butter, sugar and milk are finally falling, but said that other foodstuffs must follow suit, pointing to the fact that food companies have posted huge profits after getting help from the state in the Covid period and during the surge in energy costs after the war in Ukraine started. He criticised the Agrofert conglomerate in particular, saying that its owner, ANO party leader Andrej Babiš, could reduce food prices on the Czech market by giving out a single order.  Babiš rejected this, countering that the price of Agrofert products is decided by market chains. Six hundred exhibitors are showcasing their products at the agricultural trade fair.

Statistics indicate a further increase in reported cases of domestic and sexual violence in Czechia, the ctk news agency reported, citing government sources. Last year, the police registered 430 cases of domestic violence altogether, while in 2023 their number reached 274 cases in the first six months alone.

At a press briefing called to present the government’s action plan for the prevention of domestic and gender-based violence, the government’s commissioner for human rights Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková said the numbers available were “the tip of the iceberg” and the number of cases is actually many times greater. Experts estimate that about one in five cases of serious domestic violence and one in 20 rapes are reported.

Fuel prices in Czechia continued to rise last week, according to data published by CCS. The average price of petrol rose by 11 halers to CZK 39.53 per liter since last Wednesday. Diesel is 33 halers more expensive, with a liter costing an average of CZK 37.79. Fuels have been gradually rising in price since the end of May this year. The price of diesel was driven up by a higher excise duty at the beginning of August and is now almost four crowns higher than at the beginning of the month.

The ruling parties have reached agreement on a number of changes to the government’s austerity  package aimed at lowering the state budget deficit, Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced after Wednesday's talks with unions and employers. One of the concessions made is that the government will maintain the tax advantage on employee benefits with a limit of half of the average wage in the previous period. Another planned change, compared to the original proposal, is that the VAT rate for magazines and newspapers will be unified at 12 percent, instead of the previously proposed 21 percent rate for newspapers. The excise tax on alcohol will be gradually increased by 10 percent a year in next two years and 5 percent in the following year. The coalition will now present the austerity package to the Budget Committee in the lower house.