Ministry: Political parties may delay penalty payments

Political parties told by the authorities to pay penalties for breaking party financing rules can apply for a 6-month moratorium and then pay the fines in instalments, the economy ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Hungarian opposition parties levied with the fines have all said they will refuse to pay up.

The economy minister has asked the tax authority to delay collecting payments to ensure that the pre-election budgets and campaign subsidies of the relevant political parties are left intact in the run-up to the general election.

The statement said that political parties like everyone else must observe the law and it was not possible to exempt anyone from the consequences of breaking the law.

“We call on the political parties involved to initiate a consultation with the Hungarian State Treasury and the National Tax and Customs Office on the timetable for payment obligations related to illegal financing,” the statement said.

The commencement of payments must take place from July 1, the ministry said.

The Jobbik party, green party LMP and the leftist Democratic Coalition and Együtt parties were found to have breached financing laws by the state auditor (ASZ).

Source: MTI