20th April 2010

From sessions of the Chamber of Deputies on Apr 13 - 16

An amendment to the Act on Value Added Tax (1059) regarding the taxation of employee benefits was debated during the 78th session of the Chamber of Deputies on April 13. The amendment Act was returned to the Chamber of Deputies by the President, because the change to the Act, unanimously adopted by the Chamber of Deputies and Senate in December 2009, does not cut employee benefits in reality, President‘s position said. The Chamber voted in favor of the amendment Act, overriding the presidential veto. For more click here.

The Chamber of Deputies adopted the amendment to the Act on Disability Insurance (939) (o nemocenském pojištění) at its session on April 13. The result is that cuts in pregnancy and maternity allowances, planned under the state budget proposal for 2010, will be eliminated. The Chamber passed the act despite the rejection by the Senate on March 24. The amendment act is now cleared for presidential signature. For more click here.

A MPs draft Act on Lobbying (994) had a second reading debate in the Chamber of Deputies on April 14. Changing proposals by Ondrej Liska (Green Party) as regards the definition of a lobbyist, registration of lobbyists, the government plenipotentiary lobbying control, sanctions and fees were delivered to MPs on April 16. In February, the government has expressed disapproval with the draft act and the document was reviewed. The draft act covers lobbying as regards legislative process plus a process of drafting and approving strategic documents of public authorities. All lobbyists should be registered with the Interior Ministry. Both lobbyists and public authorities should provide regular reports on lobbyic contacts. For more click here.

The governmental anti-corruption package (1015) had a second reading in the Chamber of Deputies on April 14. Changing proposals were delivered to MPs on April 16. The anti-corruption package presents the file of novelizations of three codes which can significantly influence legislative conditions for corruption repression. It contains, for example, a new provision on an agent provoking to a crime and conditions under which a criminal proceeding running against an accused person, who is co-operating with the prosecutor or a court, can be discontinued. For more information click here.

The 77the session of the Chamber of Deputies, running since March 18, was interrupted on April 15 and should resume on May 18.


Members of the American Chamber of Commerce in the Czech Republic