Czech premier proposes cash rewards and tax breaks to boost birth rates

Facing the lowest number of live births since records began in 1785, the Czech government is seeking ways to raise the birth rate. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said he will gather the responsible ministries to consider a suite of incentives, such as a one-million-koruna bonus for a second child and lifelong tax relief for a third. Additional proposals involve assistance for parents who are studying, expanded nursery options, and child-care groups.

Babiš also addressed a controversial health-minister draft that would permit single women to become pregnant through legal means, arguing the policy would apply to a small fraction of women. He dismissed rumors of merging two Prague maternity hospitals, confirming both will remain operational while modernization projects continue. The premier linked the demographic decline to factors like aging parental cohorts, delayed parenthood, housing costs, and low fertility, and pledged broader reforms in housing and mortgage policy.