Budget committee advises returning 2026 draft budget to outgoing government for revision

The Czech Chamber of Deputies is set to return the 2026 draft state budget to the outgoing cabinet of Petr Fiala, now serving in resignation, for substantial revision. According to the budget committee’s decision—pushed through by the incoming coalition of ANO, Motorists, and SPD—the government must rework several key areas, including projected revenues in line with November’s macroeconomic forecast.

The cabinet is also instructed, in cooperation with the National Budget Council, to adjust selected mandatory social expenditures within the Labour Ministry’s chapter. In addition, the Transport Ministry’s budget must be expanded to include the missing 37.2 billion crowns earmarked for the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure.

The government has 20 days to revise the proposal, setting the deadline at 16 December. The lower house is scheduled to open the first reading on Wednesday, 26 November.

Should the cabinet fail to find the necessary funds through cuts, the committee says it must increase the deficit rather than leave the budget incomplete.

The draft budget proposed by the outgoing government foresees a 286 billion-crown deficit. ANO claims that the proposal fails to cover mandatory and legally required expenditures, as well as key investment spending totaling 95.9 billion crowns.