PM Mirek Topolanek and coalition critics of fiscal reform reach agreement

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek arrived at an agreement with the critics of the proposed fiscal reform from within his own party, the Civic Democrats, Czech TV reported on Sunday. The critics now say they will vote for the reform in the Lower House on Tuesday. The Civic Democratic MPs, with former finance minister Vlastimil Tlusty among them, criticized the fact that the overall tax burden in 2009 would be in fact higher than the year before. The Civic Democrats will incorporate their objections into the fiscal reform package when it is debated in the Senate where the coalition has a vast majority of seats. The reform package was approved by the Lower House in the second reading on Wednesday. Ludvik Hovorka of the Christian Democrats, the only coalition MP to vote against it, told Czech TV on Sunday that he would consider voting for the reform on Tuesday as well.