Babiš and Schillerová Promised No Tax Hikes — Now They're Singing a Different Tune

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Finance Minister Alena Schillerová were adamant just a short while ago that taxes would not go up. Yet after the draft budget for next year was published, their rhetoric shifted noticeably — both politicians are now hinting at new tax measures.

Back in May 2023, Babiš mocked former Prime Minister Petr Fiala's famous line, "We will not raise taxes. Full stop," claiming that Fiala had deceived voters while his own ANO movement never would. He repeated similar assurances in the autumn of 2025 and again in February 2026: "We won't raise taxes — we'll just collect them properly." Schillerová offered the same guarantee, promising to enshrine the no-tax-hike pledge in the party's election programme.

The tone shifted after the draft budget

Everything changed once the government unveiled its draft budget for the coming year. In September 2026, the finance minister admitted in an interview with iDNES: "We will still have to take some measures to reduce the structural deficit."

Schillerová began floating the idea of taxing investment property. Prime Minister Babiš backed the notion during an appearance on the CNN Prima NEWS programme "Partie," questioning whether it's fair for investors to sit on dozens of flats while families struggle to buy a home of their own.

Dividends also came up

Babiš also raised the issue of increasing the dividend tax. He compared the current rate of 15% to Germany's, where investors pay 25%, hinting that the Czech rate might be too low.

Source: novinky.cz