MasterCard study: Pilsen Region has zero debt
MasterCard has released the results of its sixth annual study MasterCard Czech Centers of Commerce, published by a team of specialists at the University of Economics in Prague. This year the experts focused on regions’ overall socioeconomic levels in terms of public finance trends and an analysis of local fees in the regions’ capitals. Pilsen Region was ranked in the upper half of fourteen of the fifteen indicators, helping it earn its excellent third-place finish in the final ranking with 85.28%. The region made significant strides in employment, reporting the second-lowest unemployment rate and second-lowest number of applicants per job opening of all of the regions.
MasterCard, in cooperation with the University of Economics in Prague, has released the results of the MasterCard Czech Centers of Commerce project. This time the study focused on socioeconomic developments in all of the country’s fourteen regions in terms of public finances and fees in the regions’ capitals. In the period under study, reported crime in the Pilsen Region fell from 28 crimes per thousand people in 2001 to 22.4 in 2012. The region’s share of university-educated residents increased sharply, rising 4.84% in the course of the period. Pilsen Region retained its third-place ranking for regional GDP and fourth place for average gross monthly salary. The region appeared in the lower half of the rankings for only one indicator, life expectancy among women, in which the region took tenth place with 80.37 years.
Pilsen and local fees in the regions’ capitals
The experts compared local fees in the region’s capital from the perspective of various groups: senior citizens, students, families and businesspeople. The City of Pilsen was the only city in the country to leave communal waste removal up to its own citizens, who can select from one of a number of companies. This limits the comparison with other cities. As a result, this policy puts registered and unregistered residents in the same position. The hotel occupancy tax is CZK 6 per day per person, which is the same in Prague, Jihlava and Karlovy Vary.
As residents pay local fees directly to the city, the study also evaluated the payment options each city offers. “When assessing cash and non-cash payments at government offices, we found significant administrative barriers in connection with card payments. The results of the study inspired us to prepare a system that would make it easier to accept payment cards, making it more convenient for local citizens and also helping to facilitate administration,” said Miroslav Lukeš, Director General of MasterCard Europe for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Socioeconomic level in the Pilsen Region
Pilsen Region has been able to improve its position in the final socioeconomic ranking from seventh place in 2001 to its current third-place position.
“Pilsen Region is distinctive for its competitiveness and as a highly attractive location for investments. Over the long term, the unemployment rate has been lower than in most other regions. Although the region has experienced growth in the number of applicants per job opening since 2001, its 4.5 difference was the second lowest increase in the country. The lowest increase was recorded in Prague (0.9),” said Milan Damborský, Ph.D., deputy director of the Centre of Regional and Administrative Studies at the University of Economics in Prague and head of the MasterCard Czech Centers of Commerce processing team.
“Positive trends in the Pilsen Region are good news for Pilsen residents. The fact that our region was the only one to enjoy such significant improvement is the result of a long-term process in which we prioritise investments into areas that are important for people living in the Pilsen Region. We provide for excellent health and social care and support technical education, which offers excellent job opportunities for graduates. Safety and security, an area of intense focus especially along the country’s border, is also of particular importance to us. Residents have a generally positive view of Pilsen Region’s good economic status and the fact that we are the only region in the country that has no debt,” says Pilsen Region President Milan Chovanec.
Public finance trends
The region with the greatest per capita debt in 2012 was Karlovy Vary Region at CZK 7,000 (Prague was not included in the ranking). Olomouc Region’s per capita debt exceeds CZK 6,000. Of the other regions, only Pardubice (CZK 3,902) and Ústí (CZK 3,242) regions reported debts exceeding CZK 3,000 per capita; Zlínský and Central Bohemian regions follow after a sizeable gap. Pilsen Region reports zero debt per capita; the region with the second lowest debt per capita is South Bohemia. Over the past three years, public debt has increased in Karlovy Vary, Ústí, South Moravia, Olomouc, Moravia-Silesia and Vysočina regions. The only two regions two enjoy decreasing debt were Pilsen and Pardubice. Europe’s economic decline has affected regional debt by impacting regional revenues as well as the system for drawing on EU funds, which requires that projects be pre-financed.
Overall regional results – socioeconomic developments
Ranking in 2001 Value in 2001 Current ranking Difference in ranking Current value
Source: MasterCard Czech Centers of Commerce 2013 (based on data from the Czech Statistical Office and Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs)
Regions of CR: Prague (Hlavní město Praha), South Bohemia (Jihočeský kraj), South Moravia (Jihomoravský kraj), Karlovy Vary (Karlovarský kraj), Hradec Králové (Královéhradecký kraj), Liberec (Liberecký kraj), Moravia-Silesia (Moravskoslezský kraj), Olomouc (Olomoucký kraj), Pardubice (Pardubický kraj), Pilsen (Plzeňský kraj), Central Bohemia (Středočeský kraj), Ústí nad Labem (Ústecký kraj), Vysočina (Kraj Vysočina) and Zlín (Zlínský kraj).
The full results and project methodology can be found in the brochure available for download.
For further information about the project, visit www.centrarozvoje.cz
Downloads:
(in Czech) MCCCC 2013 Study Results [2.86 MB]