Final Word from Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Finance Min. Zbyněk Stanjura told Reflex magazine last week that the companies that received the most government support under covid were also often the companies that didn't need it. "The most money went to our most successful company," he said. He wants to change this with regard to future energy support, perhaps by requiring recipients of the support to reimburse the state for it later. Stanjura told Czech TV yesterday that he now supports energy price caps for large companies and that they could cost the state budget Kč 30-50bn. Yet it's still not clear how much, if any, of that support would have to be reimbursed later. This again creates unequal conditions, similar to those under covid. Companies with the best information and the best access to ministers and their advisers will be able to form an opinion sooner about whether the support is going to be enough to keep them going. If PM Petr Fiala ever needed to explain the energy situation in a national address, it's now. [ Czech Republic ODS Television Jozef Síkela reimbursement pay back return ]