The Chamber of Deputies approved a bill which, if approved by the Senate and signed by the president, will impose a 60% windfall tax on the profits of energy companies and banks deemed excessive. The Czech government hopes the windfall tax for energy, oil and mining companies and banks will raise €3.5 billion next year. Revenues will go directly to the national budget and are expected to cover costs related to national caps on gas and electricity prices. “I have proposed a rate of 60% for the years 2023 to 2025,” Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS, ECR) told Czech lawmakers on Friday (4 November). Just a few hours after the Chamber of Deputies approved the text, EPH, one of the country’s largest energy companies, decided to move its subsidiary company EP Commodities, which specialises in trading in energy commodities, abroad. EPH, owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetinský, said in a press release that it agrees with the need to use part of the profits generated by energy companies to help people because of the emergency but believes the bill goes too far. Experts warn that the legislation could push other companies out of Czechia as the proposed windfall tax rate...
The penny farthing bicycle has long since gone the way of the carrier pigeon and the coal-fired railroad train. Nevertheless, Czech devotees of these early bicycles gather from time to time to resurrect the spirit of the Victorian age, as they did last weekend in Prague. On November 16, 1880, the Czech Velocipedists’ Association was established in a brewery in Smíchov. The young men who founded it were particularly fond of the bicycle known as the “penny farthing”, on which the front wheel is enormous, while the rear wheel is much smaller. This bicycle, also known as an “ordinary” or a “high wheeler”, gets its name from the penny and farthing coins in the United Kingdom; a side view of this cycle looks vaguely like a penny pulling a farthing behind it. The Czech Velocipedists’ Association was only the second such organization in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the first in Bohemia. The first outing of the fledgling association was a day trip to Loděnice the residence of its chairman, Jindřich Cífka, on April 24, 1881. Many cyclists ranged far abroad; the longest trip that year was undertaken by Jan Kohout (a shareholder in the brewery in which the association...
Prague Airport has won the ninth gold medal in a row for its blossom honey, competing in the Czech Honey contest, held annually by the Czech Beekeepers Association. Once again, the airport honey samples received a 100% rating in parameters such as water content, sucrose, electrical conductivity, correctness of information on the labels, and the overall aesthetic impression of the honey packaging. Prague Airport has been submitting its honey samples to the competition since 2013. “Beekeeping was established at the airport in November 2011, primarily as a means of air quality biomonitoring, to assess the air transport impact on the quality of the environment. The collected honey and pollen samples are subjected to analyses by the accredited laboratory of the University of Chemistry and Technology Prague,” Soňa Hykyšová, Prague Airport Environment, Sustainability, and ESG Director, said. “Biomonitoring using bees is only a small part of the overall environmental monitoring, where the airport monitors about 40 parameters above the scope of legal requirements,” added Hykyšová. Since 2019, the airport has also been monitoring its bees using a system for electronic monitoring of bee colonies – ProBee. Using this system, we monitor the weight of the hives, the temperature, and the acoustic behavior...
A new mural has been unveiled in Prague to pay tribute to Ryszard Siwiec, a former Polish Home Army soldier who set himself on fire in protest of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia more than 54 years ago. The mural, which was created by local artists and unveiled on Friday, is on a street in Prague 3-Žižkov named after the Polish anti-communist protester and next to a monument honouring him, news outlets have reported. On the night of August 20, 1968, Soviet-led Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia to put a stop to liberal reforms. Less than three weeks later, Siwiec protested the move by dousing himself in paint thinner and setting himself ablaze during an official harvest festival in central Warsaw, where some 100,000 people had gathered. Before setting himself on fire on September 8, 1968—an idea he may have borrowed from monks protesting against the Vietnam War—the 59-year-old wrote his will and recorded an anti-communist manifesto which ended with the words: “Hear my cry, the cry … of a man who loved his own freedom and that of others more than anything else, more than his own life.” Ryszard Siwiec je nejlepším příkladem 🇨🇿-🇵🇱 solidarity a také příkladem nekompromisního vyjádření nesouhlasu s...
November brought another increase in the price of beer. Budějovický Budvar joined the producers who increased the price for a pint, it can mean two crowns more. Energy prices have increased almost fourfold for the České Budějovice brewery. That is why it has increased beer prices by about ten percent since November. “The main reason for this is energy prices and prices of packaging material, prices of hops and prices of malt in particular, we expect them to go up again by tens of percent,” described the director of Budějovický Budvar Petr Dvořák. The price of a pint has risen by about two crowns, but in some pubs the increase may be even higher. They also plan to increase the price by other costs. “It is electricity, gas and other things that cannot be reflected in the two crowns. Pubs have to charge more. If they can go up at all, because the loss of guests is already rapid,” said Jan Dobiáš, owner of the Zlatá Hvězda restaurant. Even establishments that pour other beer brands into pints have had to increase their prices. The largest Czech brewery Plzeňský Prazdroj has also raised prices, by an average of CZK 1.7 per...
The 1st round of presidential elections would have been extremely tight had it taken place in October, according to a poll by Median agency. Ex-army general Petr Pavel would have narrowly won with a 22.5% share of the vote, Andrej Babiš just behind him with 22% Energy company ČEZ Teplárenská says it plans to increase the price of heating by an average of 20 percent next year, the Czech News Agency reported on Monday. Most heating plants in the Czech Republic are also planning to increase prices next year and some customers will even see their heating bills double. Czechia is ready to join the global commitment to reduce methane emissions by at least 30 percent by 2030 compared to 2020 at the UN climate conference in Egypt, Prime Minister Petr Fiala told journalists before leaving for Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday. The Chamber of Deputies approved a bill which, if approved by the Senate and signed by the president, will impose a 60% windfall tax on the profits of energy companies and banks deemed excessive. Revenues will go directly to the national budget and are expected to cover costs related to national caps on gas and electricity prices. On 30 May...
There will now be two locations for the PsiKrasa Dog Grooming Salon! The first is located in Andel and the new one is located at Vinohrady. “We are the partner of the Czech Club of owners and breeders of Black Russian Terriers and we are the only grooming salon in the Czech Republic, which has a specialization for this type of large breed. But we groom all breeds and all dogs no matter if they have a breed or not,” says the owner Oxana. PsiKrasa Dog Grooming Salon also does stripping for dogs, and starting in November a second salon location is opening so they can serve even more customers. If you look at their website it talks more in detail about the care they put into each dog and you are even able to see pictures of dogs they have groomed for reference. “It’s an amazing job, I’m very lucky. And I’m also lucky to have found a great groomer – Anna. She’s a Ukrainian refugee and came from Kharkiv with her dog-lady named Jasja. Our meeting was a big impulse to open the second salon,“ added Oxana. “I feel at home with them and at ease with...
The pandemic era has dramatically changed our perceptions surrounding services. Stay at home policies and plaque-style restrictions forced both institutions and citizens to rethink digital services, including distance banking. The idea of expanding internet banking services was highly welcomed by the banks themselves as it allowed them to lower operational costs and provide better, quicker, and client friendly services at their fingertips at any time and from any place. The year 2022 become even tougher for the banks as central bankers across the globe began to tighten monetary policies, borrowing became very expensive, soaring consumer prices are leaving people with less money to save, while communal services are eating more and more of the regular income, commented Martin Marsovsky, chief manager of Finmex Academy. European banks are being forced to migrate to digital distribution models and this is where internet banking is seen to be a logical solution to most of the problems. But all these sweet dreams were already outstripped by numerous small and hungry fintech newbies that are ripping off the financial sector. Fintechs are on the march Now not only banks, but fintech companies and new breeds of banking services are also among the major players in the...
The Czech Industry Ministry has proposed revenue caps on wholesale power prices ranging from 70 to 230 euros per megawatt hour, depending on the source, a legislative document shows. The ceilings are based on the European Union’s agreement to take revenue from electricity producers exceeding 180 euros per megawatt hour to fund national schemes compensating customers for soaring power prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Member states can move the general ceiling in both directions depending on the type of power plants and their running and investment costs. The revenue cap is expected to raise more than 117 billion euros across the EU, while the Czech Finance Ministry has estimated it would raise 15 billion crowns for the Czech budget next year. The Czechs opted to take 90% of the excessive revenue rather than the full 100% allowed by the EU regulation, which the industry ministry said was to keep producers motivated to supply at times of high demand. The proposal lowers the general 180 euro/MWh cap, above which the revenue will be taken by the state, to 70 euros for the country’s nuclear power plants, which are operated by state-owned utility CEZ. The ceiling for renewable sources will be...
A park of Christmas light installations recently opened at Žluté lázně in the Podoli district of Prague. You can admire 311 various sculptures created with 400 thousand light bulbs. The park was organized by Taiko, which has been organizing fairs, including Christmas fairs, in the center of Prague for many years. The park features sculptures of animals found in Bohemia – magpies, gulls, eagles, swans, deer, as well as various decorations with recognizable symbols of Prague. Typical Christmas motifs are also present: bells, light gates, stars, snowflakes, an angel and Christmas decorations. There is also an interactive installation in the park, accompanied by an excerpt from the symphonic poem Má vlast by Bedřich Smetana. There is also a special educational trail for children, with interesting facts and a quiz with valuable prizes. According to the organizers, very economical LED lights are used for the installations, which consume a total of 8 kWh. Thus, for one full day, the electricity costs do not exceed 200 crowns. “We offer visitors a beautiful Christmas stroll on the banks of the Vltava River in a breathtaking holiday atmosphere,” said Libor Votruba, managing director of Taiko. Tickets: adults pay 200 CZK and children 150 CZK....
Are you looking for some new places to eat? Here is a list of newly opened businesses in Prague! Mr. G’s Asian Riccardo Lucque, founder of La Collezione, recently launched a new project – Mr. G’s Asian. As the name suggests, the kitchen here is headed by “Mr. G”, or Greg, and unlike other projects from the group, the restaurant is based on Asian cuisine. Greg originally cooked for Aromi for two years. Riccardo Lucque was so impressed with his art that he decided to invest in Greg’s ideas and open a completely new concept. They have built the menu of the new venture around seafood and meat, and the individual dishes are perfect for sharing. Have the oysters for starters and for the main course try the seabream with chili jam, crispy garlic, mint and coriander or the pork belly with green mung beans drizzled with peanut dressing. Finish the meal with a glass of Italian Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon. Can’t leave the restaurant without a sweet spot? They’ll serve you coconut tapioca with your choice of seasonal fruit. Address: Ondříčkova 17, Prague 3 – Žižkov Visualizza questo post su Instagram Un post condiviso da Mr...
The share of Czech households that can only afford to buy the cheapest food and clothing has increased from 18 percent last year to 26 percent this year, suggests a survey conducted by STEM/MARK for the debt relief company KRUK. Senior opposition ANO leader and former PM Andrej Babis submitted his presidential candidacy to the Interior Ministry, signed by 56 ANO MPs, he told reporters after handing in the sheet of signatures. Some 270,000 people in Czechia used food banks at least once this year, which is around 70,000 more than in the previous year, according to the director of the Czech Federation of Food Banks, Veronika Láchová. Some 139 Czech citizens died in foreign countries during this year’s summer holiday season, which is the highest number to date, according to the newly released data by the Czech Foreign Ministry. Another 90 Czechs had to be hospitalised while on vacation abroad. Javelin thrower Jakub Vadlejch has been named Czech Athlete of the Year for the second year running. The 32-year-old, who took a silver medal at the last world championships and a silver medal at European championships.
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