Foreign-owned retail chains are looking for help from Brussels, as they believe the government has put them at a disadvantage with the price cap and the increase in the special tax rate from 2.7 to 4.1 percent. However, Kristóf Szatmáry, head of Fidesz's Business Development Cabinet, pointed out that these companies have been the big beneficiaries of recent years. However, in the crisis situation caused by the failed Brussels sanctions and wartime inflation, they must also show solidarity, read the Magyar Hírlap.

In the past few days, following Politico in Brussels, the news spread in the Hungarian left-wing press that Germany's Aldi and Lidl, France's Auchan, Ireland's Penny Market, Austria's Spar and Britain's Tesco have become targets of the government and are suffering from measures such as the retail price regulation for basic foodstuffs, which was introduced in several stages, and the increase of the special tax rate of 2.7 percent to 4.1 percent for market participants with a turnover of more than 100 billion.

According to the professional politician: "It must be acknowledged that there is a crisis and that it affects everyone. And in this situation, it is natural that we expect greater solidarity from those who until now shoveled the money, a large part of which was allocated out of the country, even though it should have been here as well". By the way, the politician believes that some managers of foreign-owned retail chains are on the wrong side of the horse. "It doesn't work that the government is good as long as it provides them with development support and makes a strategic agreement with them, but they immediately protest and report you when you ask for something or take action against the distribution of double-quality goods and aggressive market acquisition".

"This does not mean that anyone wants to oust them, but we will not shed tears if one of them decides that he does not want to operate according to the rules and responsibly. If one company pulls out, there will certainly be another that takes its place. So, we ask for more modesty and empathy!” - noted Kristóf Szatmáry.

The full article by György Vass can be read in Magyar Hírlap by clicking here

Photo: MH/Facebook/Kristóf Szatmáry