During an interview with Hungarian daily Magyar Idők, the commissioner said that if the outcome of the Polish model of the retail tax is favorable, Hungary could choose to follow the same principle and introduce a new tax or fee on big retailers that would help level the playing field, Hungarian news agency MTI reported this morning.

Polandʼs finance ministry has proposed a progressive tax on retailers with monthly sales of more than PLN 1.5 million, or a little more than HUF 100 mln, MTI said.

Szatmáry said that the Hungarian government is currently waiting for Brusselʼs reaction to Polish tax, following the rolling back on an increase in the supermarket oversight fee in Hungary after the European Commission expressed its objections. Commenting on the progressive rate structure of the oversight fee, between 0-6%, the EC said it “provides companies with a low turnover a selective advantage over their competitors, in breach of EU state aid rules.”