Novak: Current family policy at stake in election

Talking to university students in Szeged, in southern Hungary, Novak said a consensus in Hungary had emerged on the importance of supporting families.

“There’s no doubt that young people must be helped so they can have as many children as they want whenever they want,” she said at the event held in a local cafe.

Novak referred to the government’s home-creation scheme, its creche programme aimed at helping couples achieve a work-life balance, and the income tax holiday for mothers with four children and people under the age of 25, noting that 3,500-3,600 billion forints (EUR 9.5-9.8bn) are earmarked for Hungarian families in the 2022 budget, or 6.2 percent of GDP, as against the 2.55 percent OECD average.

It was in the country’s interest, she added, for the government to represent “national Christian values” and family values.

The opposition, she said, was mulling abolishing the flat tax system, and this would place an additional burden on families.

The minister also drew attention to international recognition of Hungarian family policy measures, saying this was based on quantifiable results. The desire to have children, the number of marriages, and the employment of women has increased in Hungary more than anywhere else, she said.