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The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic today supported the government's proposal in the first reading, which aims to increase parental benefits starting next year. If the amendment passes the entire legislative process, parents of children born after January 1, 2027, could receive 400,000 crowns instead of the current 350,000 crowns. For twins and multiple births, the amount would increase from 700,000 to 800,000 crowns.

The proposal now goes to the social committee, where the most intense debate is expected regarding who exactly should benefit from the increase. The government's proposal stipulates that the increased parental benefit will apply only to children born from the beginning of 2027, or to children placed in permanent care replacing parental care after the law comes into effect. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs states that the structure of the benefit, the purpose of the allowance, the procedural rules, and the administrative procedures should not change.

A politically sensitive issue is the transitional period. The coalition party SPD advocates that the state should also provide additional support to parents of children up to three years old born before January 1, 2027. This group would not be eligible for the full increase under the current government proposal. Part of the opposition is also reopening the issue of regular indexation of parental benefits, i.e., automatic increases based on the rise in prices or another fixed mechanism.

The Ministry of Labor justifies the proposal by citing the increase in living costs and the impact of inflation on families with young children. The Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, Aleš Juchelka, already stated when the government approved the proposal that parental benefits are one of the key tools for supporting families. According to the ministry, the higher amount should improve the financial situation of households and help parents better balance childcare with their working lives.

However, the increase will also have an impact on the state budget. According to previous data from the ministry, the first year would cost approximately 230 million crowns. After the full implementation of the system, i.e., from 2030, the additional annual costs could reach approximately 3.6 billion crowns.

Today's first reading does not mean the definitive approval of the increased parental benefit, but it confirms that the proposal has a chance to continue in the Chamber of Deputies. The key question will be whether the members of parliament will leave the government's version only for children born from 2027, or whether they will add a broader range of families to the law.

gnews.cz - GH ```