Czech direct budget costs linked to Ukraine war fell last year

Czechia’s direct state budget spending linked to the war in Ukraine fell last year to 15.1 billion crowns, down by 2.1 billion crowns year-on-year, according to the government’s final state budget account. The largest single item was humanitarian assistance, at 8.8 billion crowns. However, the government says the full fiscal impact is harder to measure, as tax data does not identify refugees individually. The number of Ukrainian workers in Czechia rose by 39,000 to 325,000 last year. Previous estimates suggested Ukrainian refugees paid 23.2 billion crowns in taxes and social contributions in the first three quarters of 2024 alone.