Steven N.Rather than raising the prime minister’s salary, Dialogue for Hungary would reduce the salaries of ministers, state secretaries, deputy state secretaries, and Members of Parliament by 20%. Tímea Szabó, the party’s deputy leader in Parliament, said in an online press conference on Tuesday that this move wouldn’t solve the crisis on its own, but they calculate that it could save more than 1.5 billion Ft. (US $3.9 million) a year.
Tímea Szabó said that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had imposed an “austerity package on the public,” which the government has “nicknamed” an extra-profit tax, but retail chains, financial institutions, and airlines are not going to “swallow” this loss but pass them on to consumers.
Dialogue has proposed that the “wasteful items” in next year’s budget proposal be used to instead help people, which could save the state as much as 400 billion Ft. ($1.04 billion).
In addition, Szabó said her party had submitted a bill to Parliament this morning that would oblige companies associated with the Orbán regime, such as casinos and construction companies, to also pay the extra-profit tax.
Parliament urgently debated a 61-page omnibus bill on Monday that would raise the salary of Viktor Orbán in addition to adopting a “coordinated defense” for the country. MPs passed the law on Tuesday, with 133 in favor and 51 against.
With the passing of the new law, the Prime Minister’s previous total monthly income of 2.8 million Ft. ($7,300) rises to 4.8 million Ft. ($12,500) a month.
Viktor Orbán’s salary has gone up several times over the past 12 years he has been in office, with the current increase being the largest since 2010. [Telex]
