Next week, on Saturday, February 12, Viktor Orbán will give his annual review speech. This year will be the 23rd time he gives a summary of the country's situation and tasks. We are after a crisis, the coronavirus epidemic has taught decision-makers a lesson in both the health and economic fields.
At the same time, the government has something to show, since the economy restarted in a relatively short time. The extent of the 2021 growth, which was certainly close to seven percent, will soon be revealed. This performance made it possible for more benefits and discounts to become available. Thus, among others, families raising children will receive their income tax paid in 2021 back this month up to the tax level of the average salary. The first full 13th month pension is also coming now, along with the regular pension. From January of this year, young people under the age of 25 do not have to pay personal income tax, and those concerned will receive their tax-free salary for the first time in these days. On average, this means an extra HUF forty thousand per month. In addition to all this, they are now paying the increased minimum wage, which was already higher than the average wage during the left-liberal government.
The population continues to be protected from the rise in energy prices by the policy of utility reduction, but measures to fix fuel prices and the prices of several basic foodstuffs are also in force. The interest stop will help about half a million debtors, while the needy can still benefit from the loan moratorium.
The governing parties can run for the parliamentary elections in April with favorable economic prospects. It is worth looking back to 2010, when Viktor Orbán also held an annual review a few months before the election. At that time, however, Fidesz was in the opposition, because the Bajnai government was still in power. Even then, the country was still post-crisis, but the population not only did not receive the benefits described above, but was suffocated by the austerity of the left-liberal cabinet.
The situation was so bad in February 2010 that unemployment rose to a record high not seen in sixteen years. In Hungary, December 2009–2010. in the February period, the number of employed persons aged 15-74 was 3.726 million, and the number of unemployed persons was 479 thousand, which meant an unemployment rate of 11.4 percent.
- There was such a deep-seated need for change in Hungary, like now, maybe once, twenty years ago, but then the Hungarians were proud, but today they see the country as weak, which is clearly due to weak governance - Viktor Orbán said on February 5, 2010 in the speech of the then country assessor.
The president of Fidesz stated that "the country faces a shocking number of and difficult tasks, because the era we call the Gyurcsány era caused us a great deal of almost incalculable damage."
He stated: the value of work, home, family, health and order should be the basis of government work. "Hungary must be rebuilt, and this must start with getting the economy back on its feet," he said. At the time, Viktor Orbán also drew attention to the fact that the left-liberal governments gave everything to money capital and gave priority to speculators over entrepreneurs. "The next government must take responsibility for the market so that performance and not speculators continue to rule," he stressed.
The full article of Magyar Nemzet can be read here.
Image: Kormany.hu
