LMP presses for new business Start programme

Ors Tetlak, who sits on LMP’s board, said national employment nonprofit OFA’s Business Start II programme was “drowned in scandal” when the registration site crashed because of strong interest on August 1. He noted that the programme had offered businesses 4.5 million forints (EUR 11,700) from a 6 billion forint allocation.

Tetlak said businesses should be allowed to apply for 9 million forints, while the amount earmarked for the programme should be raised to 120 billion forints.

The modifications could create 13,000 jobs, he added.

Tetlak said just as many jobs could be created with one-tenth of the tax revenue the government spends on battery plants, pointing to 1,200 billion forints in subsidies for foreign-owned battery manufacturers the government has awarded so far.

A “healthy and well-functioning” economy should be built on local small businesses, not multinationals that repatriate their profits while paying “laughably low” taxes, he added.