Legal changes taking effect on Jan 1

(MTI) – Below is a list of major legal regulations taking effect on January 1, 2014

Public workers wages hiked

Wages for people employed in public work schemes will be raised by 2.4 percent, from a monthly 75,000 forints to 77,300 forints (EUR for full-time workers. People will be paid 99,100 forints rather than the current 96,800 forints for skilled work. The hike is included in the 2014 budget with a cost of 4.4 billion forints (EUR 14.8mn). The overall expense of the public works scheme is 184 billion forints (EUR 619mn).

Family benefits, social care

Families with children will become eligible for extra benefits, with special regard to a possibility for young mothers to return to work and retain their childcare benefit, as well as further tax benefits for parents. The tax breaks will affect about 260,000-270,000 families at a cost of 50 billion forints (EUR 167.5m)

Foster parents will be granted employee status, which will indirectly benefit 13,000 children. Adoption procedures will also be made simpler. The measures seek to help 2,430 children under 12, now living in homes, find families.

People taking care of chronically ill or disabled family members will receive a net monthly 40,000 forints, 5,000 forints higher than the current amount, helping as many as 18,000 families nationwide.

Rules under which disabled people are provided with benefits will be made less stringent. Under the new criteria people who worked before their illness 2,055 days within the past 10 years or 3,650 days within the past 15 years will be eligible for the benefit.

Penal code amendments

Penal changes include more serious punishment for match rigging, and a possibility for fraud victims to regain real property they have lost. Faster penal procedures will also be facilitated by setting a 90-day deadline for forensic experts to contribute their position on a case. A further law will stipulate that records of crimes committed against minors shall be highlighted in official certificates needed for certain positions.

Photo: erdely.ma

Source: http://hungarymatters.hu/