Hungary needs a new budget, as the one planned for 2009 collapsed in the second week of the year, Tibor Navracsics, caucus leader of main opposition party Fidesz has said. “[Finance Minister] János Veres (…) will have to prepare a new budget plan, and Parliament will have to discuss a replacement budget,” Népszabadság quotes Navracsics as saying. He added that Fidesz thinks the Hungarian economy needs a reduction in taxes, employee contributions and interest rates. Gyurcsány himself has made similar noises about the need for a new budget after predicting negative growth of 2-3% in 2009.
When asked how his party tried to convince IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn of its opinion at Tuesday’s meeting, the caucus leader said the party was insistent that the economy needs an injection of money. Navracsics added Fidesz does not agree with Strauss-Kahn’s opinion that Hungary has no way of reducing taxes in its current situation.
He also pointed out that the IMF director expressed reservations about the financial situation in Hungary, in addition to making optimistic remarks.
