Varga: Supreme court ruled Karacsony not exempt from solidarity tax
The Kuria, Hungary's supreme court, has decided that Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony's municipality was not exempt from paying the central government's solidarity tax, the finance minister said on Thursday.
Mihaly Varga said on Facebook that in addition to the expiry on Oct 17 of immediate legal protection granted by the Metropolitan Regional Court, the Kuria also decided to void the Metropolitan Regional Court’s decision.
The Kuria fully endorsed the reasoning included in the Treasury’s appeal, according to which the collection of tax arrears owed by Budapest had been fully in line with the law, he said.
“According to the court ruling, Karacsony is not eligible for protection from tax payment, even temporarily,” Varga said. “He must respect the law and pay the solidarity contribution with a view to helping out poorer settlements,” he added.
