“We need a new approach in our economic policy, and necessary consequences should be drawn as far as personal responsibility is concerned” - said Attila Chikán, who served as a minister for economic affairs during Viktor Orbán’s first premiership.

“The situation is made a lot worse by the fact that there is not one institution or person from whom we could originate our economic woes” - he added. Mr. Chikán also mentioned that it was obvious how both the prime minister and his government were supporting the present economic policies. He was also critical of the government’s continual row with the IMF: “The prime minister is very well aware of the conditions. The sooner we start the negotiations, the better. When we entered the EU, we knew that we would have to abide by certain regulations. Of course, certain rules can be the subject of different interpretations, but we should really step out of the image of the misunderstood freedom fighter” - he said. The former minister criticized heavily the financial transaction tax, calling it ‘reckless’. “We know that the budget deficit is huge and the government needs revenues. Although there was a chance that, with the abolition of minor taxes, a simpler and more transparent system could be created, this came to nothing. This new tax will further entrench already existing irregularities, and will scupper any steps taken towards creating a transparent system” - he said. Mr Chikán also said that keeping the budget deficit under 3% was a good sign, although he was aware that the system itself was structurally flawed, and as such, the actual numbers may not represent the truth.
Source: Index.hu