The Tisza Party is preparing for radical tax hikes. Peter Magyar’s party, under the framework of the Tisza package, would replace the current flat 15 percent personal income tax with a progressive three-tier system. The current rate would only apply up to an annual gross income of 5 million forints; between 5 and 15 million, the rate would rise to 22 percent, and above that to 33 percent, according to leaked information.
The Tisza Package Would Affect Everyone
Szazadveg’s latest analysis provides details:
- the Tisza would abolish tax benefits for mothers, young people, and families,
- while imposing new burdens on capital income from household savings.
Moreover, the Tisza package would not only cut household income but also raise expenses that must be covered, as Peter Magyar adopted in his program Brussels’ goal of banning Russian energy carriers.
This step would drastically reduce Hungary’s room for maneuver on the energy market, leading to sharp price increases: fuel prices would rise above 1,000 forints per liter, while household electricity and gas bills would climb to three and a half times their current level.
The leaked details of the Tisza package, which Peter Magyar tried to deny, triggered widespread outrage, the analysis recalls. But the scandal has not subsided, as several publicly accessible videos confirmed the party’s intent to raise taxes. They also revealed that the Tisza Party plans to keep its austerity measures secret until the election in order to mislead voters. It is worth recalling that Zoltan Tarr, the party’s vice president, warned at a forum in Etyek that the party’s tax hike plans should not be discussed, because otherwise the party would fail. "First you have to win the election, afterwards you can do anything," he added.
Tax increases, the withdrawal of allowances, higher electricity, gas, and fuel prices, and the ripple effect of the general rise in prices would negatively affect every Hungarian.
By the 2026 election, the expected gross average monthly wage will reach 740,000 forints. Under the current income tax rate, and with today’s household utility and fuel costs, an average citizen would keep 475,000 forints of disposable income. Under the Tisza’s plan, even at this level of income, monthly personal income tax would rise by 23,000 forints. Electricity and gas bills would rise by an average of 43,000 forints per household per month, which works out to 18,000 forints per person. More expensive gasoline and diesel would mean another 18,000 forints in additional mobility expenses. Finally, higher energy and fuel costs would spill over into other goods and services, resulting in a total of 9.7 percent additional inflation over three years, which is equal to 70,000 forints in extra monthly costs per person.
Overall, it can be said that the Tisza package would put Hungarians in a tight spot: on the one hand, declining incomes and, on the other, rising costs would narrow their livelihood options.
For those on average wages, the measures would reduce net income by a total of 25 percent, from 475,000 forints to 346,000, a drop of nearly 130,000 forints. In effect, the Tisza package would wipe out the impact of several years of real wage growth, increase the share of vulnerable households, and reverse the expansion of the middle class.
