Social Democrat leader says big companies should help sports associations

Social Democrat leader Jiří Paroubek has suggested that companies with a turnover of over 5 billion crowns a year should contribute one percent of their taxable profits to the development of Czech sports and culture. The question of how sports and culture should be financed has divided Czech political parties, although there is general agreement that the present system of funding is inadequate and needs to be amended. The Sazka lottery company, which was established with the aim of funding sports associations from lottery profits, has proved an inadequate source. Some politicians now propose setting up a special sports fund to be financed from the state budget.