“The Government has decided to introduce a winter utility cost reduction: every family will be able to deduct 12 thousand forints from their gas bill”, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced in a video published on his Facebook page.

The Prime Minister said people who use district heating would also receive the allowance. Minister without Portfolio for the Development of Cities with Country Rights Lajos Kósa will be negotiating the details with local governments, he added.

Mr. Orbán said that in the case of people who heat their homes using traditional methods using coal or wood, the Government will be increasing the social funding budget for this purpose by one billion forints. Minister of Interior Sándor Pintér has been entrusted with the implementation of the measure.

The Prime Minister justified the measure with the extreme cold experienced in Hungary in recent weeks, which has led to an increase in the use of gas by families and higher utility bills.

He pointed out that the national government was the first in Hungary to have reduced utility costs. “We will continue to stick by this policy in future”, Mr. Orbán declared.

The Prime Minister also reported on the fact that based on the advice of the National Elderly Council, the Government will be sending pensioners ten-thousand forint Erzsébet vouchers for a third time.

He said the 4 percent economic growth and the good economic indices were making this possible.

Mr. Orbán said the Cabinet had considered the Council’s advice and is happy to oblige because the Government is convinced that pensioners must also benefit from the performance of the economy.

“They deserve respect. I am glad that we have found a way of expressing this respect”, the Prime Minister said in the video, which was recorded in the Parliament Building.

(MTI)