The final blow? Mayors call on Orbán to withdraw decision halving local business tax ?

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony and 37 mayors of Budapest districts and cities around Hungary demanded in a joint statement on Sunday that the government withdraw a decision on halving the local business tax.

PM Orbán said the local business tax would be halved for small- and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors from January 1. Details HERE.

The statement issued by an organisation dubbed Alliance of Free Cities said the move would be a “final blow” to local councils.

“It has nothing to do with managing the economic crisis but is about the power politics of Fidesz,” the statement added.

The mayors signing the statement called for joint protests by local councils that want to “protect the public services they offer to citizens and their ability to take action”.

As a sign of protest, the mayors said their cities would turn off their festive holiday lights from 7pm on December 23 in order to call people’s attention to the importance of public services offered by the councils.

The councils use local business tax revenues throughout Hungary to ensure public services, local transport, rubbish collection, road maintenance, public lighting and the care of green areas, they said.

The revenues are also used for paying social support, financing theatres and other cultural and sport activities, they added.

The mayors said they expect that the compensation promised by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to cities with more than 25,000 residents would be distributed arbitrarily, on a political basis.

Joint appeal of mayors, signed

Gergely Karácsony mayor of Budapest
László Botka, mayor of Szeged
András Nemény, mayor of Szombathely
Péter Márki-Zay, mayor of Hódmezővásárhely
László Csőzik, mayor of Érd
Attila Péterffy, mayor of Pécs
Tamás Pintér, mayor of Dunaújváros
Ilona Szűcsné Posztovics, mayor of Tatabánya
Klára Nyirati Klára, mayor of Baja
István Leidinger, mayor of Pomáz
Zsolt Fülöp, mayor of Szentendre
György Gémesi, mayor of Gödöllő
Péter Szitka, mayor of Kazincbarcika
Péter Hegedűs, mayor of Balmazújváros
Tamás Wittinghoff, mayor of Budaörs
József Tóth, mayor of Polgár
Antal Máté, mayor of Nyírbátor
György Fülöp, mayor of Tiszaújváros
Béla Schwartz, mayor of Ajka
Róbert Lengyel, mayor of Siófok
Csaba Balogh, mayor of Göd
Gábor Üveges, mayor of Hernádszentandrás
Miklós Hatvani, mayor of Isaszeg
István Vécsi, mayor of Ricse
Márta V. Naszályi, mayor of I. District of Budapest
Gergely Örsi, mayor of II. District of Budapest
László Kiss, mayor of III. District of Budapest
Tibor Déri, mayor of IV. District of Budapest
Tamás Soproni, mayor of V. District of Budapest
Péter Niedermüller, mayor of VII. District of Budapest
András Pikó, mayor of VIII. District of Budapest
Krisztina Baranyi, mayor of IX. District of Budapest
Imre László, mayor of XI. District of Budapest
József Tóth, mayor of XIII. District of Budapest
Csaba Horváth, mayor of XIV. District of Budapest
Angéla Cserdiné Németh, mayor of XV. District of Budapest
Sándor Szaniszló, mayor of XVIII. District of Budapest
Péter Gajda, mayor of XIX. District of Budapest

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Source: MTI