Let’s look at what is being planned for individuals.
Starting next year, changes are planned not only for personal income tax, but also for health insurance, VAT, and real estate transfer tax. Certain measures are, however, proposed on a temporary basis and would only be valid during 2015.
Stop the “generous” tax-deductibles
Self-employed individuals claiming tax-deductible expenses in the form of a percentage of revenue, i.e. the percentage of revenue method for calculating tax or, in other words, the possibility of deducting expenses from income as a certain percentage of such income, is currently a very hot political topic. A cap on such percentage is expected, i.e. the permitted percentage would be limited for certain income exceeding two million Czech crowns.
Regarding the 40% expense rate that applies, for example, to the income of valuers, insolvency administrators, lawyers and interpreters or to income from authorship and artistic activities, percentage-based expenses could not exceed
CZK 800,000. For rental income the percentage of revenue method for calculating tax would be limited to 30% of the revenue and the final amount could not exceed
CZK 600,000. In other cases, such as income from agricultural production and small trades, the percentage of 80% and 60% should remain unlimited by an absolute amount.
For taxpayers with income from business and other self-employment or rental income who deduct expenses in the amount of a certain percentage of their income, a limiting condition has been proposed. This would involve the possibility of reducing tax by a deduction for a spouse and a tax advantage for a dependant child. If, however, the aggregate of the partial tax bases where the percentage of revenue method for calculating tax is applied exceeds 50% of one’s total tax base, the self-employed individual would not be able to apply such tax relief.
Progressive solidarity A proposal has been made to introduce a progressive personal income tax known as a solidarity tax from 2013 until 2015. Personal income would be taxed on a “solidarity basis” if the sum of the taxpayer’s employment income and income from self-employment exceeded 48-times the average salary (in 2012 this would amount to
CZK 1,206,576). The portion of income exceeding 48-times the average salary would be taxed by an additional 7%.
Income tax advances paid from employment 4-times in excess of the average salary would also be subject to solidarity tax. All taxpayers regardless of the solidarity amount in the given month would be obliged to file a personal income tax return, which, when compared to today’s situation, means that taxpayers with income only from employment activities may be required to file a tax return.
No discount for pensioners
From 2013 until 2015, pensioners and disability pensioners would not be entitled to the basic taxpayer discount. Strictly speaking, this should apply only to persons who as of 1 January of the taxation period receive old-age pension or disability pension for third-degree disability from pension insurance or from foreign mandatory insurance of the same kind.
Foreign assistance
As of 1 January 2013, the 15% personal withholding tax applied to tax non-resident’s income from sources in the Czech Republic is planned to be increased to 35%. It should be noted that this increase would not affect taxpayers from countries with which the Czech Republic has concluded a double taxation treaty and where the amount of the withholding tax is limited or fully prohibited.
Given that the bill is now subject to a consultation process, we can expect changes to the bill during its consideration by Parliament. The question therefore is whether the final form will be substantially different from the current bill.