Prime Minister Viktor Orbán over the weekend uploaded a video to social media where he announced the latest government measures which have been enacted to help Hungarian families and businesses cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In a video message posted to his Facebook page on Saturday, Orbán outlined four new measures which have been added to the government’s existing economic protection action plan aimed at minimizing the pandemic’s impact Hungarian families and businesses, Hungarian news portal 888 reports . The prime minister said that the moratorium on loan repayments for families and businesses will be extended for a period of six months, until July 1, 2021. Orbán also noted that borrowers who would like to continue paying down their debts could do so by contacting their respective banks. Orbán also mentioned that the government would subsidize two-thirds of payroll costs for businesses who have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing pandemic. These businesses include restaurants, catering services, hotels, and tourism companies, including privately-owned transportation firms.
During the video segment, the prime minister also explained that the local business tax would but cut in half for sole proprietors as well as for small- and medium-sized enterprises beginning on Jan. 1. Furthermore, towns and villages with populations smaller than 25,000 are eligible to receive additional government support. Lastly, Orbán announced that families with one or more children or with a baby on the way are eligible to apply for a preferential home renovation loan as large as 6 million forints (€16,800), out of which up to 3 million forints can be deducted as soon as renovations are completed. The loan’s interest rate is capped at 3 percent. “The second wave of the coronavirus is breaking records all over Europe,” Orbán said, adding that Hungary’s healthcare personnel “are standing firm” against the “attacks of the virus”. The prime minister continued, saying that the government was providing all the medical equipment needed to mount a successful defense. “However, this virus does not only jeopardize people’s health; it has launched an attack on our families and jobs, too.” “For us, all lives and all jobs matter,” Prime Minister Orbán said in conclusion.
