Opposition Parties Welcome Shelving of Internet Tax

Budapest, October 31 (MTI) – Radical nationalist Jobbik deputy leader Elod Novak has also attributed to his party that the government “backed off from behind the internet tax”.

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Novak told MTI that the government should rather make plans for introducing a basic internet service available free of charge in order to make telecommuting and electronic administration accessible to those who cannot afford Hungary’s outstandingly high internet fees in international comparison.

He said Jobbik had submitted an amendment proposal to the tax laws to finance the free internet service from ad tax revenues.

The opposition E-PM called it important that the government accepted that taxing the internet would be unwise. The party said in a statement that the tax on cafeteria and “other austerity measures” should also be withdrawn. E-PM assessed it as a victory of Hungarian citizens that “the government backed off”. The party called on the government to “respect national interests” in other areas, too, “pursue European politics, stop rubbing up to Putin, cancel the Paks2 treaty and stop going against the EU in connection with the South Stream gas pipeline”.

The opposition LMP called on Prime Minister Viktor Orban to fully and definitely withdraw the internet tax. Co-leaders Bernadett Szel and Andras Schiffer said in a statement that there is no need for national consultation about the internet tax because Hungarian have already expressed their views on it in recent days. Orban has retreated due to the huge and exemplary social protests against the internet tax but he has only delayed its introduction and will probably make another attempt at a later date. LMP said it would do everything in its power to prevent this.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters