Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Friday at the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK) delegates’ assembly that a strong entrepreneurial class forms the foundation of a robust economy.
After signing a cooperation agreement with the chamber’s leader, Orbán stressed that the signing is more than a formality, it signifies stability and predictability.
He urged attendees to view it seriously, highlighting that Hungary’s future depends not just on politics and parties, but primarily on economic performance. There can be no successful economic policy without a strong entrepreneurial class, he stated.
Furthermore, Orbán pointed out that earlier agreements had established clear objectives: making the economy more competitive, lowering taxes on labour, promoting digitalisation, and expanding opportunities for domestically owned SMEs, Daily News Hungary reports.
He highlighted that these commitments have been fulfilled, including the introduction of personal income tax exemptions for people under 25, reductions in social contribution taxes, simplification and cost reduction for starting a business, and reforms to dual training aimed at increasing access to skilled labour.
The PM also warned that proposals currently under consideration in Brussels, justified by support for Ukraine, would economically devastate Hungary. He criticised demands for higher labour taxes, new green taxes, ongoing EU joint borrowing, and excessive business regulations that he says would regulate businesses to death.
“All this we will not do,” Orbán declared, underscoring that the Hungarian government is not Brussels’ executive branch. He stressed that Hungary’s economy must be managed according to its own national interests.
Instead, Hungary engages in dialogue, sometimes vetoing, then negotiating, and ultimately reaching agreements, as demonstrated in the case of EU funding, he added.
Orbán outlined two paths for the country: one led by the opposition advocating tax increases, and the other rooted in a national economic policy focused on performance and tax cuts.
In addition, the prime minister acknowledged that the government’s economic policy isn’t perfect but said that it has remained stable, predictable, and consistent for 15 years.
He assured that the government will meet its economic objectives this year, with the top priority being the rollout of Europe’s largest tax cut program aimed at families, promising that, regardless of circumstances, this commitment will be fulfilled.