The mailing of the national consultation questionnaires begins today in Budapest, and by early to mid-November every household across the country will receive them, Parliamentary State Secretary Balázs Hidvéghi from the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office said on Wednesday in the online program Fighters' Hour.
Hidvéghi noted that the deadline for submitting responses is November 30. For now, the forms can only be completed on paper, but he said he would propose creating an online option as well.
Presenting the questionnaire, the state secretary explained that it asks citizens in five points about their views on taxation and cost-sharing. He stressed that the consultation is fundamentally about “not letting ourselves be deceived.” He accused the largest opposition party of hiding its real tax plans, which he described as part of the “Gyurcsány legacy of deception.”
Hidvéghi emphasized that while Hungary currently has a flat 15 percent personal income tax, the opposition Tisza Party is preparing to introduce higher tax brackets of 22 and even 33 percent, which would mean hundreds of thousands of forints in additional annual tax burdens for many workers. He added that the government, by contrast, is committed to keeping family tax benefits and expanding them, as well as preserving young people’s and mothers’ income tax exemptions.
On the issue of utility price cuts, Hidvéghi underlined that Hungary would not give up its current system. “Hungarians today pay the lowest price for gas and electricity in Europe,” he said, warning against Brussels’ push to abandon Russian energy in favor of more expensive alternatives.
He also pointed out that Hungary’s corporate tax rate of 9 percent is the lowest in the EU, giving businesses a competitive edge and contributing to the creation of one million new jobs. Raising this tax, he argued, would damage the country’s economy.
The state secretary confirmed that, as in previous years, the costs of the national consultation would be made public.
He further highlighted the strong interest in the government’s new Otthon Start Program, noting that several banks had already lowered rates below the three percent threshold. “This program helps young families escape the rental trap and move into their own homes,” Hidvéghi said.
Also appearing on the program, Fidesz-KDNP communications director Tamás Menczer commented on the ongoing EU summit in Denmark, stressing that Hungary cannot be bypassed on the issue of Ukraine’s EU membership. He reiterated that as long as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán leads the country, Ukraine will remain outside the European Union.
Menczer argued that peace can only be achieved through diplomacy, not through military escalation, and recalled that U.S. President Donald Trump has made it clear Ukraine will not join NATO. “And we Hungarians have made it just as clear that Ukraine cannot join the EU, because that is not in Hungary’s interest,” he added.
Turning to domestic politics, Menczer said the Tisza Party’s delay in presenting its candidates shows weakness. “Who would want to join now, when everyone can see this story is heading for collapse?” he asked, claiming the party is surrounded by scandals and “resentful figures” rather than credible leaders.
He concluded that such instability proves the opposition is unfit to govern, contrasting it with the government’s focus on stability, family support, and protecting national interests.