Prague, Oct 20 (CTK) – The Chamber of Deputies proposed the payment of a one-off bonus of 1000 or 1200 crowns to every Czech pensioner in the second reading of the bill Tuesday.
Given the low inflation rate and a sluggish growth in real wages, the pensioners are only to receive 40 crowns more a month as of January. Due to it, the centre-left government proposed that a one-off bonus of 600 crowns be paid to the pensioners before Christmas.
However, the government coalition proved unable to pass the legislation in time because the opposition was against a shortened discussion of the bill.
This is why it proposed that the pensioners receive 900 crowns in February.
The lower house committee for social affairs recommended that each pensioner get 1000 crowns. MP Miroslav Opalka (Communists, KSCM) Tuesday proposed that the sum be 1200 crowns.
He said this would cost the state 3.43 billion crowns next year.
The opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) said they preferred a 1.2 percent increase in pensions as of April. They said it would cost the state 1.95 billion crowns in 2016, but the pensions would be increased permanently.
The average monthly pension in the Czech Republic is about 11,300 crowns and the average gross monthly wage about 26,000 crowns. There are some 2.36 million old-age pensioners in the country with 10.5 million inhabitants.
