Also in 2020, we will do everything we can to keep Hungary a safe country where everyone who wants to is able to work, and where families are given all the support they need.

At a press conference, Government Spokesperson István Hollik said also in the future we will have to consistently stand up in order to prevent the relocation of migrants and to combat mandatory quotas. There appears to be no end to the process of migration currently afflicting Europe, and there continues to remain a great deal of pressure on the Hungarian border which has intensified significantly in recent weeks, he stressed, adding that pro-immigration forces are putting pressure on Hungary ever more aggressively both in Hungary and in EU institutions. “Therefore, we will need all our strength and a consistent stance in Brussels and at home as well as on all other fronts,” he said.

According to the spokesperson, Brussels’ previous leadership made flawed decisions not only on the issue of migration, but also on fundamental economic issues, and as a result, the European economy has been unable to find its feet since the world crisis; in actual fact, it will lose further momentum this year and next year. Therefore, one of the most important tasks of 2020 will be to defend the results and momentum of the Hungarian economy, he pointed out, and to this end the government will launch another economy protection action plan in 2020.

From Wednesday, further business taxes will decrease. He mentioned among these the reduction of the tax of small businesses (‘kiva’), and the fact that the businesses concerned will be exempt from declaring and paying all further taxes, meaning the corporation tax, the social contribution tax and the vocational training contribution.

Benefits designed to help families with children will also be extended. More than one hundred thousand persons have already taken advantage of one measure or another of the family protection action plan, he said, and from January further elements will enter into force, including the family allowance of grandparents and the personal income tax exemption of mothers with minimum four children.

Créche development projects will continue, and the families of children suffering from type 1 diabetes as well as couples with fertility problems, too, will receive significant assistance, he listed.

The baby expecting support which more than 60,000 married couples have requested so far will also remain available as will the housing benefit of families which more than 120,000 families have already applied for and the family tax benefit which leaves almost half a million forints with families with two children.

Mr Hollik further informed members of the press that wages have increased dynamically for six consecutive years, thanks to tax reductions and economic growth. Since 2010, the minimum wage and the wage minimum of qualified workers have more than doubled, and from 1 January will increase by another 8 per cent, he said.

As expected, with the reduction of taxes on live work force, wages could also further increase in the private sector. At the same time, there will be pay rises in the public sector as well, and members of the armed forces will receive a one-time benefit of half a million forints. From 1 January, the salaries of health care workers will increase by 14 per cent, and from November 2020 by another 20 per cent.

The pay rise of judges and prosecutors will continue: From 1 January, there will be an average 37 per cent pay rise for judges, and in the years ahead there will be further pay rises of 12 and 13 per cent, respectively.

He recalled that the salaries of teachers working in vocational training will also increase by 30 per cent on average from next summer.

Mr Hollik pointed out that the government will do everything it can to keep Hungary a safe country where everyone who wants to is able to work and receives a fair salary for their work, and where families receive all the support they need to give their children a decent upbringing.

In answer to a question about the procurements of the Felcsút football academy implemented from EU funds, Mr Hollik quoted German Chancellor Angela Merkel who believes that Hungary is using the funds it receives from the EU well, and this is also reflected in the dynamic growth of the economy. EU funds are distributed within the framework of fixed tender protocols, and those who satisfy the relevant criteria – whether they are municipalities led by the opposition or football clubs – are eligible for funds.

In answer to another question, the spokesperson dismissed a newspaper article criticising the distribution of grants which substitute for the so-called cultural grants that were previously available in relation to corporation tax benefits as inaccurate. He said grants are distributed via three channels: On a normative basis, via calls for proposals and based on individual grant requests. A decision regarding the latter is made at the end of the year on the basis of cultural and strategic considerations, taking into account who was given access to how much funding through the former two. He observed that the Budapest Átrium Theatre received more funding in 2019 than in 2018.

Mr Hollik said farewell to members of the press in the capacity of government spokesperson, thanked journalists for the work they had completed together, and wished all the very best to Alexandra Szentkirályi who will fill the position of government spokesperson from 1 January.

(MTI)