Prague, March 30 (CTK) – The Czech junior government Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) reported a loss of 985,000 crowns and the opposition TOP 09 of 18 million crowns in 2016 in their annual financial statements that the parties released on their websites these days.
The KDU-CLS’s financial management result was caused by the costs of the regional and Senate elections, held last autumn, which amounted to 35.2 million crowns.
In 2015, when no elections took place, the Christian Democrats reached a profit of some 23 million crowns.
In 2016, their total expenditures amounted to 85.7 million crowns, while the revenues were 86.2 million.
The loss was due to the paid income tax on the profit from business activities, mainly the lease of the Charitas Palace in Prague centre, the KDU-CSL’s seat.
The most significant revenue was a state contribution of 46.2 million crowns. Besides, the Christian Democrats collected 4.1 million crowns in membership fees and they got gifts of 14.5 million crowns, including payments from other political parties as a contribution to joint lists of candidates.
Most of the financial gifts were sent to the KDU-CSL by individuals, 11.1 million crowns in total. Marek Simak sent the highest sum of 400,000 crowns. Out of firms, the Prague-based Pharmaceutical Biotechnology donated the highest sum, 350,000 crowns, to the party.
The loss of TOP 09 was also caused by its costs of the regional and Senate elections, but the party covered it by its savings from the previous years.
TOP 09 has no debts, its annual report says.
Its total expenditures amounted to 71.6 million crowns, 38.5 million of which were spent on the election campaign in 2016. The costs rose by some 40 million crowns year-on-year because of the campaign.
The party had revenues of 53.6 million in 2016, which was seven million more than the year before. The major part was the state contribution of 40.6 million crowns.
Donors sent 9.7 million crowns to TOP 09, including payments from other parties for joint lists of candidates. TOP 09 also collected membership fees of 3.1 million crowns in 2016, which was 800,000 crowns more than in 2015.
Last year, TOP 09 received 294 financial gifts from 243 donors. The most generous one was TOP 09’s candidate for senator Jiri Holubar, who gave 400,000 crowns to the party. Out of firms, Medihope in Nachod, east Bohemia, and Trisol Farm in Bolatice, north Moravia, donated the highest sum of 150,000 crowns each.
($1=25.140 crowns)
