An amendment to the Act on Value Added Tax (1059) regarding the taxation of employee benefits 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 says. Further debate is planned for the 78th session of the Chamber of Deputies starting on April 13. For more click here.

An amendment to the Act on Disability Insurance (939) (o nemocenském pojištění) regarding cuts in pregnancy and maternity allowances in connection with the state budget proposal for 2010 was rejected by the Senate on March 30. The amendment will be debated in the Chamber of Deputies at the session starting on April 13. For more click here.

A MPs draft Act on Administrative Fees (695) proposes introduction of administrative fees for the provision of information to judicial executors during executory proceedings. The administrative fee charged for each submitted enquiry should amount to Kc500. In this way, administrative processes should be simplified and labor input related to the provision of social security services reduced. The second and third reading debate will be held at the session of the Chamber of Deputies starting on April 13. For more click here.

A draft Act on Abolishing Bearers´ Shares (954) by ČSSD and Green Party MPs is planned for the second and third reading at the session starting on April 13. The draft act forces a transformation of stock bearers´ certificates (listinné akcie na jméno) into stock name certificates or registered shares (listinné akcie na jméno či zaknihované akcie). The Commitee on Budget has recommended the draft act for passage. For more click here.

A MPs draft Act on Lobbying (994) is planned for the second and third reading at the session starting on April 13. It 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. In February, the government has expressed disapproval with the draft act and the document was reviewed. At its session on March 11 the Committee on Security decided to interrupt the general debate in the Chamber of Deputies until the Committee on Constitution delivers its position on the draft act. For more click here.

On January 11 the government discussed and passed the file of anticorruption proceeding – the so-called „anticorruption package". There is a need to change the situation in the corruption area. The Department of Home Affairs has prepared the complex of anticorruption proceedings. It presents the file of novelizations of three codes which can significantly influence legislative conditions for corruption repression. The governmental anti-corruption package (1015) 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. At its session on March 11 the Committee on Security decided to interrupt the general debate in the Chamber of Deputies until the Committee on Constitution delivers its position on the draft act. The Committee on Constitution has recommended the Chamber of Deputies to interrupt the general debate on the draft act until the end of the electoral term. The piece is on the agenda of second and third readings at the session of the Chamber of Deputies starting on April 13. For more information click here.

The Government has recommended in its proposal that Parliament of the Czech Republic greenlights the accession of the Czech Republic to the Protocol to the Contract for the International Carriage of Goods by Road (CMR) regarding the electronic bill of freight. Following agreement by both Chambers the act is now to be signed by the President. For more click here.

An amendment to the Act on Energy Management (727) submitted by a group of ČSSD MPs should go through the third reading at the session of the Chamber of Deputies starting on April 13. The piece stipulates the State Energy Concept and its changes be in the future suggested by the government and adopted by the Chamber of Deputies. Every three years, the Government would report to the Chamber of Deputies on keeping to the plan of action. The Committee on Economic Issues has recommended the Chamber of Deputies to reject the proposed amendment act. For more click here.

A MP´s proposed amendment to the Labor Code (788) should go through the third reading at the session starting on April 13. The amendment abolishes the ODS government´s provision on the first three days of sick leave and re-establishes the former provisions according to which the sick pay is provided from the first day of sickness. The government expressed disapproval with the proposal in April 2009, the reasons being inaccuracy, incompleteness and undermining of employee motivation not to misuse the system of sick leave/sick pay. At its session on December 1 2009 the Committee on Social Policy recommended the Chamber of Deputies to pass a reviewed version of the proposal. The third reading debate was interrupted on Jan 27, Feb 3 and March 12. For more click here. 

A MPs amendment to the Act on Health Insurance regarding the elimination of a maximum base of assessment (- maximální vyměřovací základ) is heading for the third reading at the session of the Chamber of Deputies starting on April 13. The idea behind is that incomes in high income groups surpass the set maximum level and hence, contribution of high income group to the health insurance system is lower than the contribution of other income groups, as promoters suggest. The piece will be debated in the Chamber of Deputies at the session starting on April 13. For more click here.

A governmental amendment to the Act on Income Tax is planned for a repeated third reading at the session starting on April 13. The purpose of the draft amendment is to introduce a regulation for taxation of natural persons’ income from emissions of government bonds. The current legislation does not regulate this issue. As a result, changes to the Act on Income Tax are required. For more click here.