Irrespective of the verdict by the European Commission, measures which have been the basis for infringement procedures will be phased out. According to a previous decision of the Hungarian Government, irrespective of the Commission’s decision, extra taxes levied temporarily on certain sectors such as retail trade and telecommunication will entirely be abolished, as of 1 January 2013.
The European Commission has officially requested Hungary to amend its legislation on the special taxes applied to the retail and the telecommunication sectors within two months or, failing to comply, the case will be referred to the European Union Court of Justice.
In addition, during the transformation of the taxation system, the Government decided on introducing taxes which make the state budget predictable and calculable in the long term and which are consistent with the concept of gradually shifting the emphasis of taxation from levies on incomes to levies on consumption, turnover and harmful externalities.
(Ministry for National Economy)