Supermarket Price Hikes in Hungary Slammed by Orbán

  • 31 Jul 2023 10:07 AM
  • Hungary Matters
Supermarket Price Hikes in Hungary Slammed by Orbán
Supermarkets are acting like speculators by raising prices when there is no basis to do so, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public radio.

The government’s job is to bring inflation down with measures such as price caps, the interest rate freeze on loans, the price-monitoring platform, mandatory discounts for supermarkets and allowing the SZÉP voucher to be used for food purchases in stores, Orbán said.

“It appears that the process which we call defeating inflation has begun, and the goal of pushing it below 10% by the end of the year is achievable,” he added.

While the country is fighting inflation, especially food price rises, “there are those who aren’t participating in the battle and are indeed taking advantage of the situation”, he said.

Hiking prices of imported food, he added, was “totally unjustified and unacceptable”.

Action would be taken against price-gouging, even if this may cause the government problems with the EU, he said. Brussels, Orbán insisted, was undermining government attempts to “protect the people”, and speculators were “colluding with Brussels bureaucrats”.

He said consumer protection authorities had already levied 3 billion forints (EUR 8m) in fines, adding that action must be intensified.

  • How does this content make you feel?

XpatLoop Media Partner

Hungary Matters

Launched in January 2014, this newsletter published on week days covers 'everything you need to know about what’s going on in Hungary and beyond', according to its publisher the state media agency MTI.

Explore More Reports

  • Caps On Utility Fees  to Continue in Hungary

    Caps On Utility Fees to Continue in Hungary

    • 8 May 2023 7:13 AM

    Hungary is still able to maintain the caps on utility fees, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told public radio on Friday. “Prices are not breaking loose, families will remain protected up to average consumption and the government aims to also help SMEs,” he added.

  • Socialists in Hungary Call for Maintaining Price Caps

    Socialists in Hungary Call for Maintaining Price Caps

    • 13 Mar 2023 6:24 AM

    The opposition Socialists call on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to review his economic policies and instead of developing battery manufacturing, to focus on knowledge-intensive industries, the deputy party leader said.

  • Fuel Stations Limit Purchases, Some Go Bust

    Fuel Stations Limit Purchases, Some Go Bust

    • 16 Feb 2022 10:44 AM

    A growing number of petrol stations are limiting the amount of fuel motorists can buy after the government extended the fuel price cap on the weekend, RTL News reports.