Zsofia Koncz: We Don’t Spend Hungarians’ Money to Fund War

The Orban government has built Europe’s largest family support system in recent years, transforming the tax code to favor families. It has also rolled out a range of housing support programs and expanded the nursery network. Recent weeks have shown, however, that while family tax cuts remain in place, a single misstep under a left-wing government could trigger family tax hikes aimed at satisfying Brussels’ demands.

State Secretary Zsofia Koncz (Source: Facebook)

Support for Home Ownership

In addition to tax allowances and income tax exemptions, the family support system also makes major efforts to assist young people in homeownership. In September, a new low-interest mortgage program, the Home Start Program, was launched. Interest in the program has been strong from the outset, as the state-backed mortgages with a fixed 3 percent interest rate were previously only available to couples having children.

Importantly,

the Home Start program can be combined with existing housing support schemes, including all forms of the CSOK. 

Ms. Koncz noted that the program’s success is reflected in data showing that since 2015, one in six property transactions has involved some form of CSOK support. Families have responded very positively to these opportunities, and in towns with fewer than 5,000 residents, even the elderly can access support through the Rural Home Renovation Program.

Photo: AFP

Balancing Work and Family

The government has also prioritized ensuring that parents returning to work do not face difficulties with daytime childcare. To this end, significant expansion of the nursery network has taken place. While in 2010 there were only 32,516 nursery places, today there are over 70,000.

Currently, nursery care is available in nearly 1,260 settlements, and over 900 towns that lacked nurseries in 2010 now have access. 

Financial support for families with young children includes nursery fee subsidies, which can amount to 50,000 forints per month, or up to 65,000 for single-parent families. To support this, in September 2024 the government launched a 6.6 billion forint program funded by EU and domestic sources, later supplemented with an additional 6.65 billion forints from the national budget. The program has now been extended through June 30, 2026.

Speaking to our newspaper, Ms. Koncz emphasized that — instead of the Tisza party's leaked tax hikes package — the government thinks further family tax reductions are needed.

Tisza's package would shake families to the core: their leaked plans include abolishing the family tax system, eliminating low tax rates, cutting family allowances, removing childcare benefits, and even ending free pediatric care.

– “Unlike the left, we believe in leaving more money in the hands of families, letting them decide how to spend what they have earned honestly. We do not want to spend Hungarian taxpayers’ money on funding war, Ukraine, or the migration pact — we want to spend it on Hungarian families,” the secretary of state concluded.