Budapest vs government: Mayor announces lawsuit over EUR 70 million ‘solidarity tax’ dispute

Budapest will file a lawsuit to recover HUF 28 billion (approx. EUR 70 million) in the wake of a court decision concerning a solidarity tax payment, the city’s mayor said on Wednesday.

Gergely Karácsony said on Facebook that in line with a recently published resolution, Budapest is expected “to pay to the government” HUF 89 billion (EUR 220 million) “under the deceitful title of solidarity contribution”. He added that the state was paying Budapest a total of HUF 39 billion (EUR 96.6 million) under various titles this year, against which they have imposed HUF 89 billion, so “all that’s left is minus HUF 50 billion (EUR 124 million)”.

“There is nothing more deceitful than calling this solidarity, it has nothing to do with the city’s revenues, even less with its expenses, it is pure politics, demonstrating the government’s anti-Budapest stance,” he said.

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