The state is losing millions on office rentals

Prague - The state is losing millions of crowns on office rentals. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture rents offices in the center of Prague to the Agrarian Chamber for 200,000 crowns a year, although by law it should be collecting around a million. Minister Petr Gandalovič (ODS) says that his office will rectify this case and investigate all other rentals agreed in the past. Today's Hospodářské noviny reports this. The problem was pointed out by the Association of Private Agriculture according to the daily.
    The Ministry of Agriculture has been renting dozens of offices to professional organizations and private companies for many years. According to the Czech Republic property law, the rent must be at least the price customary in the location. However, the Agrarian Chamber pays only 83 crowns per square meter per month for space in central Prague. Jaroslav Novotný, president of the Association of Real Estate Agencies, estimates the real price to be about three times that amount. The online server Nemovitosti.cz offers offices for rent in the same street at seven times the price.
    "I care about ensuring that our farmers survive. I would like to avoid creating concern for those who want to publicize rents just during the harvest," quote HN the president of the Agrarian Chamber, Jan Veleba. This year's harvest is expected to be better than last year's, and this year farmers will receive about 36 billion crowns in subsidies, the newspaper points out.
    Together with the chamber, the Young Farmers' Society is also located at the same address on Štěpánská Street, which also has lower rent. "We need to address this; we will pay more," reacted the president of the society, Pavel Moulis.