Instead of Fireworks in Hungary Give Firewood to People in Need, Says Socialist Party Leader
- 26 Jul 2023 10:23 AM
- Hungary Matters
Instead of fireworks on the August 20th national holiday, people affected by the “cost-of-living crisis” should be offered firewood, the opposition Socialist Party leader said
The crisis, Lajos Korózs said, had an economic as well as a social dimension.
The economy, he told an online press briefing, had been in recession for a year, with GDP falling every month, while industrial output had fallen by 7%.
Construction investments were down by 12% and real wages had dropped by at least 20% in the first six months of the year, he added.
Consumption and retail trade had shrunk owing to inflation and growing prices, so the government’s “magic weapon” of VAT revenue had also failed, he said.
Korózs said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was attempting to solve problems by introducing austerity measures, with drastic cuts to state spending, a suspension of state investments and big cuts to social spending, health care and education budgets.
He called for help to be given to people most in need, including public workers, those earning a minimum wage, single parents and pensioners.
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