Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar used the latest stop of his nationwide tour to restate several major government plans, including a new wealth tax, asset recovery and constitutional reform. His appearance in Szolnok was also briefly disrupted when an egg was thrown towards the stage.
Magyar addressed supporters in Szolnok’s Kossuth Square on Saturday, the third stop of his new nationwide tour following events in Veszprém and Pécs. The tour is expected to visit 15 provincial cities before concluding in Budapest.
One of his clearest pledges concerned the planned wealth tax, which would target individuals with assets exceeding HUF 1 billion. The prime minister said the measure would take effect from 1 January, calling it one of Tisza’s most important and most widely supported campaign promises.
He accused pro-Fidesz media of launching a new campaign against the tax and argued that the criticism was driven by those with the largest fortunes. Magyar also made a sarcastic reference to billionaire businessman Lőrinc Mészáros and his wife, Andrea Várkonyi, while insisting that the government intended to introduce the measure as promised.
Asset recovery and constitutional reform
Another major part of the two hour-speech focused on recovering public assets allegedly lost under previous governments.
Magyar told those who might eventually be held responsible for financial damage to the state that repayment could count as a mitigating circumstance under criminal law.
“They know the Hungarian State Treasury’s bank account number, and we are waiting for the transfer.”
He also renewed his criticism of Hungary’s prosecution service, accusing prosecutors of having watched while the country was, in his words, “looted like during the Mongol invasion”.
Magyar also repeated that a broader constitutional process would begin and criticised the county-level administrative system inherited from the Orbán governments. He argued that county assemblies had too often functioned as political patronage hubs, rewarding loyalists rather than relying on qualified professionals, and claimed that the system had also been used to keep mayors under political pressure.
He said his government wanted to replace what he described as a “feudal” structure with a more professional administration.
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Szolnok electrolyte plant ruled out
Turning to a local issue, Magyar said no electrolyte plant would be built in Szolnok while the Tisza government remains in office.
The planned KunlunChem factory has faced strong local opposition and had already run into several obstacles before Saturday’s statement.
Egg thrown towards Magyar during Szolnok speech
The event was also disrupted shortly after Magyar began speaking. According to Index, the prime minister was talking about his recent private audience with Pope Leo XIV when his bodyguards suddenly appeared behind him after something was thrown towards the stage. The livestream did not initially make clear what the object was, and Magyar first appeared to believe that a drink had been thrown.
Magyar interrupted his speech and addressed those responsible:
“I would like to ask the Fidesz trolls not to throw drinks, because there are many civilians here, and I do not think any of our elderly compatriots or children deserve to have water or beer poured over them. If you want to pour it over me, come up here, no problem.”
He then attempted to continue his speech, although several further shouts from the crowd repeatedly interrupted him. It later emerged that an egg had been thrown towards the prime minister.
After Tisza MP Andrea Rost addressed the audience, Magyar returned to the stage and spoke at greater length about the incident. He said Tisza supporters had not gone to rival political events during the election campaign to whistle at speakers or throw eggs, and argued that those disrupting his event were acting out of political frustration.
Magyar asked his supporters not to be angry with them, claiming that some former Fidesz voters were struggling with the loss of a political community and leaders they had previously trusted.
Footage recorded by Kontroll at the scene showed plain-clothes police officers detaining the man suspected of trying to hit Magyar with an egg. The man reportedly told reporters that he regretted missing the prime minister’s head. He resisted the officers as they moved to detain him and was eventually taken to the ground.
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Ah yes, the tried-and-tested, as well as cheapest and most pathetic, method of filling up the coffers: Raid the fortunes of those who have.
What will they do when St. Peti steals their wealth? Well, they’re not going to bother making more and many will take what’s left out of Hungary to a place where the government is not a bunch of globalist-socialist patsies.
So St. Peti will plug some of the holes in the budget but this will not solve the causes of those holes. Indeed, the holes will return even bigger because the wealthy will, as I said, no longer be here to rob.
This is basic economics; yea, basic human nature. If you punish those who contribute and reward those who do not, your system will very soon collapse. Common sense.
Mmmm. You write “Well, they’re not going to bother making more”. Let’s consider that. Might not “”Well, they’re not going to bother stealing more” be more accurate ?
‘This is basic economics; yea, basic human nature. If you punish those who contribute and reward those who do not, your system will very soon collapse. Common sense.”
Common sense, Dear Michael, is the middle – not let the rich do anything they want, no matter what the rest of the citizenry suffer. Everything must have some limits. This is the real common sense.
Switzerland has had wealth tax since 19th century, and currently it represents over 5% of total government revenue. I wonder when will Switzerland system “collapse” like the propaganda account above claims that aways happens “very soon”.
In short:
A well-designed wealth tax can raise revenue, but a poorly designed one can produce surprisingly little revenue relative to its administrative and economic costs.
Several European countries have had poorly designed wealth tax and had to give up on collecting it. I hope Tisza uses a wealth tax design that works well in Hungary.
A lot of Hungarians have serious mental problems!
I think Prime Minister Magyar has the right of it : a society with a band of filthy rich oligarchs, with half of the society (or more) struggling to barely get by, is simply unacceptable. In my country, the disUnited States of America, we are back into a second Gilded Age – the oligarchs raping the populace day by day, in numerous ways.
Yes to wealth disparity, but, no to a wealth accumulation without limits.
Realized profits are taxed. As soon as you start taxing wealth the owners of capital will think about moving it elsewhere. What Hungary needs to look at is wealth that was accumulated by corrupt deals with the former government and seek to recover funds that were extracted in lopsided deals from the state. Any wealth tax is economically dangerous and needs to be very minimal or you will get capital flight.