Hungary’s opposition parties on Friday criticised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s recent comments on jobs and the changes to household utility price caps and the small business tax, saying he had “admitted” that the government was “incapable of protecting families”.
In a Facebook post reacting to Orbán’s interview to public broadcaster Kossuth Rádió, Socialist Party co-leader Bertalan Tóth said the prime minister had “irresponsibly dished out handouts” before the election in the interest of keeping his power “and lied that this was sustainable”. “They lied about stability, utility prices, the price of Russian energy, the state of emergency and just about everything,” Toth insisted.
He said the minimum wage should be exempt from personal income tax, taxes on low incomes should be cut, while low pensions and the wages of public service workers, teachers and health-care workers should be increased. Tóth also criticised Orbán, who he said “has been living off taxpayer money for 32 years”, over his reasoning for the need to change the rules around the itemised tax for small businesses (kata).
Opposition Momentum said the prime minister’s radio interview was “a clear admission that the government can’t and doesn’t want to protect Hungarian families from the cost of living crisis”. Momentum said Hungary’s economic stability could only be guaranteed by an agreement with the European Union and a commitment to carrying out structural reforms so that the country could have access to the funds that could be spent on hospitals, schools and jobs.
LMP co-leader Máté Kanász-Nagy urged an end to Hungary’s dependence on hydrocarbons. He called on the government to lift all bans and restrictions on the installation of renewable energy systems, introduce a building insulation scheme based on social considerations and
scrap the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant.
The leftist Democratic Coalition said Orbán had admitted that the government “won’t protect jobs”. Balázs Barkóczi, the party’s spokesman, told a press conference that “the prime minister knows what he’s talking about, given that he’s just taken away the livelihood of 450,000 taxpayers”. “First they let Orbán’s inflation loose on the country, then imposed a brutal package of austerity measures with the windfall taxes, the decision to scrap the kata tax and by raising utility costs,” Barkóczi said.
3 Comments
Political agenda publicized during elections is the plan. Sometimes, thing happen that could not have been planned for, e.g. COVID or Russia/Ukrainian war. Governments may have to deviate from the plan for a short time but the governing party will return to its plan as soon as possible. It is unfortunate that the sanctions against Russia hurt EU countries and US more than Russia. Any plan coming from the Biden Regime is bound to fail. It must be time to work out a solution for peace.
“Opposition : Orban Lied about EVERYTHING during the campaign”.
You don’t need to be a Rhodes Scholar – to know that ///
1998 – 2002 then the “second” coming in 2010 to present – “cometh the man” – his Fidesz Pary & Government.
Statements – Opinions are relatively – easy to “put” out there.
What CONTINUES to FAIL – in Hungary – is ACTION – positive orderly ACTIONS – that highlight, display OPPOSTION – to the “claimed” Lies, that CONTINUE to – crimes of perpatration, from the Fidesz Party – Hungarian Government, led by its Party leader, and present Prime Minister of Hungary – Victor Orban.
OPPOSITION – in a Poltical Party environment under Democracy and the CITIZENS – using RIGHTS granted them under Democracy – to OPPOSE – rules, laws and Acts of Government – that they question & disagree.
OPPOSITION – orderly – NEVER to be witnessed as the AGGRESSORS – using the RIGHTS of Democracy.
It sure sounds like one of these people (commenting) is in the employ of (read: mouthpiece) the Orban Government.
Most people would surely think that insulation was a must have, just look at our 2022 record summer temperatures.
It’s a fact that buildings with an R- rating of 2.2 – 2.9 save a lot on energy, and let’s not even mention how much a building with an R-6 to R-7 rating (closed-cell spray foam) could save on today’s extremely expensive energy.
Maybe it’s time PM Orban made peace with the EU and ask for (yet) more handouts and create a scheme so that all building owners would be eligible for free, or subsidised, insulation. Let’s take that idea a step further, and add free, or subsidised, solar panels as well. Who needs the most expensive form of energy (Russian Paks 2), when an EU member country can turn to the EU for grants for such schemes?