Speaking at a press conference today, Karácsony said that “the State Treasury unlawfully did not forward the immediate legal protection request of the Municipality of Budapest to the court,” so they submitted the motion directly to the court.
“Now, however, I must report a new government levy, which clearly shows that a political decision has been made within the government to drive the capital to the edge of the abyss. Why they are doing this must be asked of them; this is not only anti-Budapest but also anti-national policy. The current proposal is particularly outrageous; they’re not even bothering with the usual false rhetoric that the money taken from the capital would go to support poorer settlements—this time, they’re putting the money directly into the pockets of casino owners,” said Karácsony, according to a report by Index.
He argued that there is an amendment in the tax laws that would effectively reduce the local business tax obligation for the gambling industry to a quarter. As a result, roughly HUF 18 bln in business tax revenue would be lost from the budgets of the capital and the districts.
“This level of withdrawal cannot be compensated by cutting public services,” stressed the mayor, who also mentioned that his colleagues have prepared a criminal complaint, as they wanted to clarify one piece of information—namely, whether the State Treasury initiated the garnishment after receiving the request for legal protection. Karácsony claims the answer is yes.
“If we do not receive immediate legal protection, and the garnishments are not stopped, then public services will be endangered, and I believe a strike wave may begin in Budapest,” the mayor predicted, adding that this would greatly harm the government and the Hungarian budget as well.
Karácsony also criticized the idea of relocating this year’s Budapest Pride event to Kincsem Park, a venue primarily used for horse racing. “The marchers are people, not horses,” Karácsony said in response to a journalist’s question about the authorities possibly suggesting the location.
According to the report, Minister of National Economy Márton Nagy stressed that, “The State Treasury rightfully executed the garnishment in connection with the solidarity contribution; no action related to immediate legal protection prevented it. In this case, the garnishment is one method of tax collection, not part of an administrative procedure. Therefore, legal protection cannot be exercised against it.”
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