At the
start of the year the Socialists discussed various pessimistic variations on
tax reduction. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány spoke about a leeway of HUF 200
billion (EUR 816.37 million), which within weeks gravitated towards zero. The
Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ), on the other hand, insisted that tax cuts
need to amount to roughly HUF 500 billion (EUR 2.04 billion). Failure to agree
on this issue was one of the triggers for the split between the Socialists and
the liberals. Continue »

The Budapest police chief has banned a
gay pride parade planned to be held in Budapest on July 5,.The police document, signed by Gabor Toth and published on the
event’s homepage pride.hu, states that the licence for the
parade has been refused because it would obstruct important traffic
routes in central Budapest. Continue »

The countryside around
Szekszárd in southwest Hungary is one of the nation’s most picturesque areas.
There are miles of gently undulating hills with lush vegetation, and vines growing
on the terraces and hillsides. Horst Wessel describes the landscape as the
“Hungarian Tuscany”. Continue »

The governor of Hungary’s
central bank appeared before Parliament’s Budget Committee last Tuesday to
justify a cautious monetary policy that has seen the base rate rise 100 basis
points to 8.5% since the end of March. András Simor, and the National Bank of
Hungary (MNB) that he heads, have come under increasing political pressure
recently for the rate hikes, which he says were necessary to counter
inflationary pressure from higher-than-expected wage rises and surging
commodity prices – notably oil – on the international markets. Continue »

Another council has
decided to pay social security benefits only to parents whose children
regularly attend school or kindergarten. This time it is the Sárospatak
(northeast Hungary) town council which is attempting to clamp down on truancy
by cutting off cash from parents. Continue »

Dodgy food, tap water and
insects are all things we are told to avoid on holiday. Last week it emerged
that notorious German tabloid Bild had added one more item to the list of nasty
things best avoided when overseas: the British. Continue »