The House supported that no fees should be paid for the exemption of land for house construction

Prague - The Chamber of Deputies today supported in the first reading a proposal from a group of MPs from the opposition club TOP 09 and Mayors, suggesting that for land designated for residential construction, no fees should be paid for the exclusion of land from the agricultural land fund. This would apply in cases where zoning plans allow for residential construction on the land. The MPs supported the proposal despite the government's disapproval.
    The government argued, among other things, that the proposal is difficult to reconcile with EU law, as exemptions from fees represent public support regulated by EU law. The government also stated that extensive systematic exclusion of a certain area means that such appropriation will not be assessed by public administration even in terms of protecting the agricultural land fund.
    Co-author of the proposal Věra Kovářová (TOP 09 and Mayors) stated that most of the comments are not serious enough that they cannot be corrected by amendments in the next reading. For support of the law, MP Václav Zemek from the governing ČSSD argued, claiming that it is necessary to find a solution so that the construction of family homes does not ruin families wanting to build. The amendment was also supported by Ladislav Okleštěk (ANO) and Petr Kudela (KDU-ČSL).
    Petr Bendl (ODS) stated that as a result of the amendment to the law on the protection of the land fund, which the Chamber approved this year, the construction of family housing has significantly increased in cost, as fees are now charged not only for physically built-up areas but for the entire plot. However, MP Zemek disagreed, asserting that fees are only paid for the exclusion of truly built land.
    According to the proposal, fees should not be paid by regions and municipalities during road construction, and publicly beneficial constructions such as schools or playgrounds would also be exempt. For land transportation constructions, the state does not need to pay the fee, while regions and municipalities must cover it.
    For housing constructions, according to the proposal, official consent for the exclusion of land from the land fund should not be necessary, which would facilitate the construction of family homes according to the proponents. MP Kovářová previously stated that the fee for exclusion from the fund could reach up to 1500 crowns per square meter, and could therefore exceed the price of a square meter of land.