Hungarian opposition Jobbik launches signature campaign against govt ‘austerity’

Opposition Jobbik has decided to launch a signature drive in protest against what the party sees as the government’s austerity measures, deputy leader Dániel Z. Kárpát told a press conference on Thursday.

Z. Kárpát said it was “unacceptable that the government should earn extra profits in a crisis”. He insisted the government had “lied all along” in the election campaign, saying “not a word about harsh austerity measures” such as restrictive changes to the small business tax (kata) or lowering the caps on household utility prices.

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Jobbik demands that the government should stop “profiteering” on taxpayers and scrap the VAT on basic foodstuffs, items for raising children, firewood, as well as on household gas and electricity, Z. Kárpát said. He added the signature campaign could force the government to reduce the VAT in those areas to nil.

Z. Kárpát insisted that the government had “revealed its intentions” when they had budgeted thousands of billions of forints in extra revenues collected from the VAT on soaring prices. He called it “disgusting” that the government should take advantage of “the misery of others” to gain extra profits.

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Source: MTI