The German group noted that its Hungarian subsidiary is the only company in the country to fall into the top 40% rate of the progressive tax.
Co-CEOs Anke Schaferkordt and Guillaume de Posch urged the Hungarian government to change the “counter-productive tax policy seemingly specifically aiming at RTL.” They added that the new regulations “undermines its operations and raises major concerns about the freedom of journalism in Hungary”.
RTL Klub, Hungary’s largest broadcaster, has complained that the new tax, which hits their company harder than anyone, is intended to target the broadcaster because they are politically independent and they have criticized the government.
The parliamentary group of the ruling Fidesz party said earlier that RTL has used “accounting tricks” to avoid paying corporate tax in recent years, thus National Economy Minister Mihály Varga instructed the Hungarian Tax Authority to investigate the issue.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
