The Minister of Regional Development Klára Dostálová says she’s working on a plan to support the Czech tourism industry which is being devastated by efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic. In its most basic form, she told Hospodářské noviny, the plan will be divided into two portions: CZK 500m for Prague and at least the same amount for the rest of the Czech Republic. The two sections have to be kept apart, she says, because the average wealth of residents of the region of Prague excludes businesses located in it from receiving European Union support funds. Dostálová said that CZK 1bn was an adequate sum of money in view of the fact that travel agencies were already able to apply for loans under the Covid 1 and Covid II plans. Her new plan includes splitting the cost of CZK 10,000 tax-deductible vouchers with employers, who would give them to their employees to help pay for summer vacations within the Czech Republic.
It’s about getting people to spend their summer month holidays in the Czech Republic to help restart the conomy,” said Dostalová. Asked by HN how it would help companies to get money back in a year when they pay their taxes, the minister said she was considering an option to allow companies to write off losses this year against last year’s tax base.
