Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said on Czech Television’s Nedělní debata that the government will not avoid raising some taxes, and mentioned possible taxation of investment flats and addictive substances.
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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Alena Schillerová (ANO) said on 27 September 2026 in the programme Nedělní debata of Czech Television that an increase in some taxes will not be avoidable. According to her, it could involve excise duty, the so-called refinery tax and other measures.[1][2]
Areas under consideration
Schillerová said that she is preparing variants for taxing investment flats and certain addictive and harmful substances.[2][3] As examples she named kratom, nicotine pouches and products containing HHC.[2] For investment flats, according to her, the ministry is working with a variant of raising the tax above a certain threshold that would correspond to the amount the owner pays in property tax.[2]
“First of all it will be the taxes I am talking about. That means excise duty, we have the refinery one, we are preparing some others, because we have areas where profit has been rising in an unprecedented way,” Schillerová said, without specifying further areas.[1][2][4]
She described an increase in value added tax as a “tempting and quick solution”, but at the same time, in her view, a problematic one. One percentage point of the basic VAT rate would, by her account, mean revenue of 24 billion crowns for the state.[2] She does not want to return to the so-called super-gross wage, abolished in 2021 under the government of Andrej Babiš, though she does not regard its abolition as a mistake.[1][2]
Time frame and savings target
According to the minister, legislation must be prepared so that it takes effect around mid-2027.[1] By combining higher revenue and lower spending it would, in her view, be possible to save 20 billion crowns or more in the budget, with roughly half of that amount to come from higher tax revenue.[1][2] Schillerová said that she has a set of measures and their costing prepared and will inform the coalition about the best solutions.[2]
Reactions and contradiction with the programme statement
Former Minister of Finance Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) admitted in the debate that a change in the tax mix is appropriate in the current situation, but in his view the proposed measures would bring only small sums into the budget.[2][3] According to the proposal, the budget deficit next year is to be 386 billion crowns. “If you need to consolidate 150 billion and put ten on the revenue side, you are left with 140 billion in cuts,” Stanjura said.[2][3]
The programme statement of the government of ANO, SPD and Motoristé sobě contains a pledge to “not raise any taxes” and instead to collect existing taxes properly and save on its own operations.[1][2]
Related articles: Alena Schillerová, Ministry of Finance
Chronology
- — Finance Minister Alena Schillerová said on the television channel Nova that she will propose raising the tax deduction for mortgages by up to CZK 50,000 for people under 36, effective from next year. Hospodářské noviny iDNES.cz
- — Finance minister Alena Schillerová said the government will not be able to avoid raising some taxes; taxation of investment apartments and addictive substances is under consideration. Novinky.cz ČTK / České noviny
Pages linking here
Proposal to raise the tax deduction for mortgages
Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (ANO) told the television station Nova on 7 October 2026 that she will submit a proposal under which the tax deduction for mortgages is to be raised by up to 50,000 crowns. It is to apply to young people under 36 who are repaying a mortgage or considering one, and Schillerová wants it to apply from next year. According to her, even if the law were approved only in 2027, it would be possible to claim the deduction already for 2027.[5][6][7]
The current annual ceiling on the deduction of interest paid is 150,000 crowns per household for contracts concluded from 1 January 2021; for older contracts it is 300,000 crowns.[5][6][7]
Criticism of banks
On Wednesday 7 October 2026 Schillerová criticized banks on the social network X for the rise in mortgage rates. According to her, there is no reason for mortgages to become more expensive, since the Czech National Bank's rate is not changing. She wrote that whoever stretches the string too tight should not be surprised when it snaps, and that it would be a pity to reopen debates that they had regarded as closed. Asked by Nova whether she had in mind, for example, a windfall tax, she said that the Ministry of Finance is analysing the matter and that she cannot rule out anything at all.[5][6][7]
According to the Swiss Life Hypoindex, the average mortgage interest rate reached 5.79 percent at the start of October 2026, which is 0.28 percentage points more than in September, the highest value since January 2024 and the seventh month of growth in a row. For a model loan of 3.5 million crowns over 25 years, the monthly instalment at this rate is 22,095 crowns, 1,855 crowns more than at the March rate of 4.89 percent.[5][6][7]
Jiří Sýkora, an analyst at Swiss Life Select, pointed out that in the summer rates rose usually by only hundredths of a percentage point, but now the rise is accelerating, especially for longer fixation periods: a one-year fixation is offered at 5.42 percent, a ten-year one at 6.35 percent. Tom Kadeřábek, head of the product department at Swiss Life Select, said that he does not expect significant falls in the coming months; in his view further moderate rises and a search for the peak are more likely.[5][6][7]
Sources
- Novinky.cz — 27 September 2026
- ČTK / České noviny — 27 September 2026
- Echo24 — 27 September 2026
- Blesk.cz — 27 September 2026
- Hospodářské noviny — 7 October 2026
- iDNES.cz — 7 October 2026
- Echo24 — 7 October 2026