National Consultation Nears Record as Final Deadline Approaches

Hungarians have until Sunday evening to return their questionnaires—an opportunity to reject the Tisza Party’s tax-hike agenda. Balazs Hidveghi, Deputy Minister of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office and Parliamentary State Secretary, told Magyar Nemzet that, as leaked documents have already revealed, “no one would escape” the Tisza Party’s tax increases.

Illustration (Photo: MTI/Boglarka Bodnar)

Tarr also admitted he would not reveal everything now “because then we would lose.”

Now, a several-hundred-page economic blueprint obtained by Index shows that Peter Magyar’s party is proposing a more radical overhaul of Hungary’s tax system than anything seen in the past decade.

The program estimates the state would need at least 1,300 billion forints more in revenue annually—money that would not come from growth but from harsh austerity, tax hikes, and increased payroll burdens.

A Popular Form of Public Consultation

It is not new for Hungary's government to turn to the public in times of external pressure or national risk. In recent years, the Cabinet has repeatedly used the National Consultation to gauge citizens’ views on major strategic questions.

The consultation allows citizens to express their position between elections on pivotal issues facing the country.

The previous consultation, held last fall, focused on key economic questions such as sovereignty, neutrality, economic growth, wage increases, support for businesses, and housing for young people. Some 1.3 million people responded. This year’s consultation is already among the most successful ever; participation has already surpassed 1.5 million. Only two consultations have seen higher turnout: the 2020 questionnaire on COVID-19 and economic reopening (1.7 million responses), and the 2017 consultation on the “Soros Plan” (2.3 million responses).

Cover image: Illustration (Photo: MTI/Boglarka Bodnar)