Minister Macinka says budget finalized, coalition trims deficit by roughly 20 billion CZK

Petr Macinka disclosed that the government coalition concluded the budget after about two weeks of negotiations, stressing that the adjustments are far from superficial. He highlighted that Finance Minister Alena Schillerová compiled the budget with genuine diligence, a stark contrast to the approach of former Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura, which he dismissed as theatrical. The agreed plan is set to lower the fiscal gap by approximately 20 billion CZK, though the exact amount to be presented on Monday will vary by three to four billion CZK.

Martin Kupka, chair of ODS, rebuked Stanjura, claiming he would have caused a budget fiasco, and attacked Macinka for abandoning previous deficit-reduction promises. Kupka also accused the government of imposing costs on motorists and the broader Czech populace, questioning proposals such as freezing highway vignette fees and the implementation of EET 2.0, which he says already cuts state revenue by around six billion CZK.