Viktor Orbán started Friday morning as a guest on Kossuth Radio’s “Good Morning Hungary!” program, talking about the latest political developments. The Hungarian Prime Minister spoke in detail about recent government decisions, such as the fight against food price inflation, the tax exemptions that are unique in the EU, and also addressed next week’s EU summit.
“We are seeing a number of economic events that should have caused prices to fall,” Viktor Orbán said in the interview. The politician explained that
the euro had been below 400 forints several times recently, energy prices had also fallen, and this should have been reflected in food prices.
He said that retailers had proposed price reductions, but that they were minimal and the government was not satisfied.
As for the margin freeze, that will come into force from next Monday, he said that there were more drastic forms of intervention. He said that while producers sell milk for 200 forints, retailers sell it for 550-600 forints. By regulating the margin, no more than 10 percent can be added to the purchase price, and producers cannot be passed back the impact of the price drop, he detailed.
The regulation applies to 30 products, of which families buy the most. The Prime Minister said that retailers would find a way to respond to this decision, but that the government would also react. He noted
if this was extended to all food, it would not increase food inflation.
Mr Orbán said the government is convinced that the key to the birth and upbringing of children is whether mothers feel secure, referring to the recent announcement on the personal income tax waiver for mothers.
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He added the best thing would be for women to be able to rely on vigorous and earning men. “But without that, after a divorce, there is a good chance that all the burden of child-rearing will fall on women. The government’s current decisions and tax cuts are designed to help mothers,” he said, pointing out:
This is a Hungarikum, there is nothing like this anywhere in the world.”
“In Western civilization, people think that personal income tax is an individual matter, but this is not true, because people live in families. There is no question that in the long run, living in a family makes you happier and is better financially,” he added. He stressed that “we can introduce lifelong tax exemption for mothers.”
He also noted that 2025 is the year of breakthrough and the world is moving towards peace, which has positive economic effects and creates the potential for economic success.
Mr Orbán said that the question of Ukraine’s membership of the EU would be decided by the relevant minister, and that the people would be asked a single question, which would be “as simple as a tree”. He said there was still a pro-war majority in Brussels.
European leaders have decided that Ukraine must fight, in exchange for fast-track membership. This will ruin the Hungarians,”
Mr Orbán said.
“We, the Hungarian people down-to-earth, must decide on this issue. Hungary has a say in the matter, because all member states have to accept it,” he underlined. The Prime Minister suggested that everyone should approach this issue according to their own way of thinking. “There are economic, labor market, health, border protection, military and public security issues.
Most people are closest to the economic aspects, and Ukraine’s membership of the EU would ruin the Hungarian economy.”
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Viktor Orbán believes that “Serbia could be admitted to the EU tomorrow morning,” and that this would not be detrimental, but would bring huge benefits, especially for Hungary. “It would expand our economic opportunities in an extreme way. North Macedonia, Montenegro could also be admitted tomorrow morning. (…) You cannot compare these countries with Ukraine,” he said.
The Prime Minister called it madness for each EU member state to spend a certain percentage of its GDP on supporting Ukraine. He is convinced that the focus should be on negotiations and peace.
The prime ministers who are backed by a socialist-democrat coalition are pro-war. Hungary and Slovakia are anti-war,”
he pointed out, referring to next week’s EU summit. He said it was still not clear how defense development would be financed. The Prime Minister noted that there were two camps on this issue: the borrowers’ group and the self-financers. “In the case of Hungary, the basic law does not support joint borrowing, but the Parliament has to say something about this by Thursday,” he said, adding that he was in favor of not allowing EU member states to borrow together.
Via Magyar Nemzet, Featured image: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
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