This National Consultation Survey Will Be Different

The government has good reason not to wait until December 20 to open the first returned envelopes with the filled in questionnaires: they will continuously follow what implications emerge from people's responses, because there are ongoing negotiations on next year's budget, Parliamentary State Secretary Balazs Hidveghi pointed out.

Photo: MTI/Zoltan Balogh

The national consultation survey is an extremely important instrument in the Hungarian government's hands in order to create points of agreement with the Hungarians, Balazs Hidveghi, parliamentary state secretary of the Prime Minister's Cabinet Office, said on public radio's Sunday morning news program. The delivery of questionnaires will begin on October 28 and the filled in forms can be returned until December 20, he said.

Hungary is the only country in the European Union where people have been asked about crucial matters, about issues that determine the present and the future, and their views have been taken into account, the parliamentary state secretary pointed out.

Economic neutrality to allow for rising wages

Speaking about the specific topics of the upcoming national consultation, he first spoke about raising the minimum wage to 400 thousand Hungarian forints. He stressed that the government has been able to implement a policy of continuous wage increases, which was somewhat broken by the pandemic, the war, and the flawed sanctions policy, but they are convinced that it is possible to return to wage increases based on economic growth. "This is why we need economic neutrality so that we do not close ourselves off and others do block our ability to trade and build economic relations freely," he underlined. He pointed out that it is essential that wage increases are based on an agreement between employers and workers, with the government playing an intermediary role.

"We can set targets, and if the Hungarian people support this, then based on economic growth, a minimum wage of 400 thousand forints and an average wage of one million forints can be achieved within a few years' time." On the issue of workers' loans, he said, they believe that young people at the beginning of their careers should be helped with preferential loans so that they can get a start in the world of work. This is also one of the questions in the survey, he said. 

A range of measures to support housing

On what is new in housing subsidies and what should change, he said that there is a housing crisis, which mainly affects the capital. "Budapest's leadership has failed to deal with this in recent years, and they have not come up with any sound proposals on tackling this issue. For its part, the government is ready to contribute to improving the situation, not only in Budapest but also in the countryside," he stressed. He explained that they have several proposals and people's opinions will be sought on them in the questionnaire. These include whether the government should provide tax breaks to companies to enable them to contribute to the rent and housing costs of their employees. This includes expanding the area of use of the so-called SZEP card (a popular fringe benefit employers can provide at reduced tax rate) and allowing it to be used for home renovation as well. Access to housing should be made easier for young people. For those who are studying, building dormitories can be a solution while the government is also working on providing discounted loans with a five percent interest rate to young people who want to buy their first home. He noted that an agreement is needed with the banking sector, as the banks will provide the loans.

Family support to be doubled

With regard to family support, he said people will be asked about family tax allowances, which have been a very important instrument in Hungary's tax policy and support for families for years. Brussels is attacking these measures and wants to persuade the Hungarian government to abolish them. He underlined that these measure will remain in place, in fact the government believes that family allowances should be increased and this is why they would like to double tax rebates for families with children. Regarding the elderly, people will be asked in the survey whether they want the 13th month pension to become a permanent feature of their pension benefits. He pointed out that these measures will be covered by the budget, by the resources that the Hungarian budget has access to and by the potential growth rate expected.

He noted that they will not wait until the deadline of December 20 to open the first envelopes received, but will continuously follow what implications emerge from people's responses, because there are ongoing negotiations on these issues with a view to next year's budget.

Hungary's migration policy will remain in place

Migration practically determines what has happened in Europe over the past ten years, Balazs Hidveghi pointed out. "Hungary has taken a very firm, consistent and unchanging stance from the very beginning: it rejects illegal migration and immigration into the territory of the European Union, and has done its part to prevent it," he said. He recalled that they have built border barriers, reinforced the protection of the borders with soldiers and policemen, and reject ongoing and recurring efforts from Brussels to force Hungary to "surrender" and admit migrants who have entered the EU illegally. Speaking about the punishment imposed on Hungary for its migration policy, he said that they would like to see the position of the Hungarian people clearly. "In our view, this punishment is outrageous and unacceptable. It will be an important confirmation if Hungarians agree with this, and it will also be decisive for future government decisions and actions," he stressed.