City Hall Confidential
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Prague politicians have lots of friends. One of them is Milan Šmerda, a Prague ODS supporter who just happens to rent huge chunks of Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square from City Hall. His biggest business comes from Christmas and Easter markets and large–screen hockey and soccer celebrations. How much does a glass of mulled wine cost at a Christmas market? The 20 to 30 crown price tag looks correct, but here is a more detailed break-down: Šmerda’s companies rent 10,000 square meters at Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square for Kč 600,000 per year. However, the rent for one month alone is valued at 12 million crowns. The primary company renting the space is a not-for-profit, and City Hall even waived payments of hundreds of thousands crowns on several occasions after Šmerda claimed charity status for his activities. Furthermore, City Hall actually paid him 5 million crowns for Christmas and Easter decorations and 2.5 million crowns for fireworks. Given that the markets last for about two months, the City loses over 30 million crowns each year. The ugly look of the markets, the resulting congestion in the squares that make it impossible to pass through, and the ODS public meetings come as a bonus. How does mulled wine taste at this price? |
Article added on Mon 2nd Jun, 2003 [last updated Thu 6th Oct, 2005]Share this page 
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