We are already over Labor Day, but it is still worth recalling the thoughts that Finance Minister Mihály Varga wrote on his social media page yesterday:
May 1, Labor Day. It is celebrated because the respect of work is unquestionable. Or is it? Several domestic left-wing parties have been trying to gain political benefits for years with the false promise of a basic income without the condition – let's say, work.
The point is that all citizens of a country would be entitled to a regular sum of money regardless of their age, marital status or labor market situation. However, the "miracle" of the left is worth a closer look.
For example, little is said about the fact that the state could generate the necessary resources for income without work by significantly raising taxes and reducing family allowances. Or, even worse, they would pay with loans, which would cause the national debt to skyrocket.
Or here is the question of justice: for the good-sounding free money that someone would receive from the state as a subject, someone else must work for it. How is this? According to the leftist idea, some people should work to support those who do not want to live from work?
But let's not just look at the financial side of the issue! Unconditional basic income creates the false illusion that "every problem will be solved". An attractive offer that takes the burdens of life off our shoulders, but irresponsibly abuses the situation of vulnerable people living in difficult circumstances.
It is no coincidence that international attempts have so far failed without exception : the Finns abandoned the idea after a short experimental period. And the Swiss rejected the possibility in a referendum.
So on Labor Day, it doesn't hurt to say again: Hungary is not driven forward by unemployment, but by work. The success of the Hungarian economy is that the number of working people in Hungary increased from 3.7 million to 4.5 million in 10 years. That is why we continue with an economic policy based on supporting families, protecting jobs and creating new ones.
(The picture shows Margit Hospital workers on May 1, 1948. Source: Fortepan)
