The measures taken at the beginning of the year can help five to six million people and mean more than 1,500 billion to society and the economy this year - this is what the Deputy Minister of Finance said in an interview with the Mediaworks News Center. Outlining the measures of the past two decades, András Tállai refuted the left's most vocal criticisms, and also spoke about the stakes of the spring elections. Details.

- As the election approaches, there is more and more talk about the state of the economy. How do you evaluate the left-wing criticism that the government is pursuing an irresponsible economic policy?

- Those who economically and financially destroyed the country and implemented a series of austerities say this. Let's see some facts and predictions, that is, let the numbers do the talking!

The economic downturn of 2020-2021 was twice as strong as the previous global crisis in 2008-2009. Despite this, the Hungarian economy grew by 6.4 percent last year, and this year we expect an expansion of more than five percent. I emphasize: during a pandemic that has lasted for several years. You should also know that the Hungarian economy has the highest investment rate in the European Union, while we are also reducing the national debt and the deficit target in proportion to GDP. The latter could be 4.9 percent instead of 5.9 percent this year, following the government's decisions at the end of the year.

- The shortage is precisely one of the topics for which the government is criticized. At the end of the year, the cabinet blocked HUF 350 billion, while postponing state investments worth HUF 750 billion. According to the left, this is austerity. This is also the opinion of György Surányi, for example: the former governor of the central bank also mentioned government mistakes and loss of vision.

- In György Surányi's statement, there was exactly as much professionalism as humming in teddy bear cheese. For this reason, it is a shame to waste many words on it. On the other hand, the issue of austerity is worth discussing in detail. Let's recall the period of the 2008-2009 crisis! At that time, Ferenc Gyurcsány and then Gordon Bajnai were prime ministers, and on foreign orders, the two of them led one of the most brutal austerity measures in Hungarian history. The sales tax was raised, the family allowance was frozen, the family tax discount and home building subsidies were taken away, the three-year period of the national health insurance was reduced by one year, and the sick pay was cut by ten percent. They took away the 13th month pension and raised the retirement age. They bled out the public sector, froze the wages of public service workers, deducted one month's wages from them, and even introduced a national, general real estate tax. Meanwhile, the overhead was raised fifteen times.

And now exactly the same people, the world champions of austerity, are talking about austerity. By the way, I don't remember that in 2008, within arm's reach of the state bankruptcy, György Surányi would have made a statement about loss of eyesight and serious government mistakes.

the Magyar Nemzet article here.

Image: Iriszoffice.hu