Hungarian government: special monitoring only affects Ryanair

The government considers it “unacceptable” that low-cost airline Ryanair wants to pass on the tax on excessive profits to customers with retroactive effect, government spokeswoman Alexandra Szentkirályi said on Tuesday.

Szentkirályi said on Facebook that the government expects every company to pay the special tax without burdening customers. Hungarian families must not be made to pay the price of the war, she added.

“Hungarian families are in the focus of our policies, and we expect everyone to act in a fair and law-abiding manner,” she said.

“Those reaping excessive profits thanks to higher prices and interest rates can be expected to help the Hungarian economy and the Hungarian people in this difficult situation…” she added.

State secretary in charge of consumer protection, Nóra Kupeczki, noted in the video on Facebook that the government has launched a consumer protection procedure against the airline. In addition to the passing the special tax on to customers, more than 150 complaints have been raised against Ryanair regarding flight cancellations, scanty information, as well as poor baggage handling and communication with passengers, she added.

The special monitoring only affects Ryanair, though the government is keeping an eye on all companies, she said.

The Government Office for the Protection of Hungarian Citizens launched an immediate consumer protection procedure against Ryanair on 10 June for passing on the extra profit tax to passengers. The investigation is currently ongoing. The comprehensive investigation will look, among other things, at whether the company has engaged in unfair practices and misled passengers. If a violation is found, the government agency will impose a consumer protection fine. Details HERE: Ryanair could be fined € 5 million by Hungarian government

Read alsoRyanair CEO: the Hungarian departure tax is stupid and a robbery

Source: MTI