Hungary's PM Orbán Retreats On Internet Tax
- 3 Nov 2014 8:00 AM
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced the withdrawal of the internet tax on Friday but did not abandon the idea, saying it will be revisited next year. In his usual fortnightly interview with Kossuth Rádió, Orbán said the debate about the tax had gone off course, as the levy is an extension of the existing telecoms tax, but now people question its fairness.
The foundations for a reasonable debate will have to be restored, he said, adding “We are not Communists; we do not govern against people, but with them. If this displeases ordinary people, and they find it unreasonable, it cannot be implemented.”
Instead, the government will stage a “national consultation” on the internet in the middle of January, regarding regulations and financial questions.
Declaring that digitalisation is an important question in Hungary’s modernisation, he said “we shall spend hundreds of billions of forints on upgrading the internet to make it accessible to everybody”.
The draft 2015 budget submitted to Parliament on Thursday foresaw Ft 25 billion in revenue from the internet tax.
Source: Hungary Around the Clock
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MTI Photo: Kovács Attila
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