Government approves 2019 budget with 40 bn crown deficit

The Czech government on Wednesday approved the draft budget for the year 2019. It counts on a deficit of 40 billion crowns (1.6 billion euros), the same amount as in the years 2020 and 2021, said PM Andrej Babiš (Ano) following a Cabinet meeting.

On the expenditure side, the focus is on investment, increasing pensions and raising salaries for public sector workers, Mr Babiš said. Some opposition politicians argued that during a period of strong economic growth, running such high budget deficits is irresponsible. They also said the level of investment was too low.