- RESERVATIONS
- Apartments Budapest
- Hotels Budapest
- Hostels Budapest
- Pensions Budapest
- Spa Hotels Budapest
- All destinations
Hungary backtracks and not tax Internet after mass protests
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has backtracked and frozen indefinitely implement plans to impose a tax on the consumption of the Internet, after the outbreak of mass protests in the streets of Budapest and the warnings of the Union European.
The tax meant that operators would pay about 50 cents per GB Internet consumption were consumed in the country, which the government would bring them some 65 million euros, although Reuters estimated that would leave the country's coffers over 570 million .
Opponents of the tax, who argued that the implementation would go beyond telcos and would ultimately affect consumers, have described as "big win" strategy change Orban.
Orban has insisted public radio that "this tax in its present form can not be entered" and that "if people think that is completely irrational, it should not be done."
Still, despite this release and reverse the controversial law is highly unlikely to stop having Orban liberals unhappy Hungarians who acusasn the president of being an autocrat and not expect Orban has resistance until elections in 2018.
The European Commission welcomes the decision
For its part, the European Commission (EC) has made its satisfaction with the decision of the Hungarian prime minister celebrating ensuring that "the Hungarian people's voices have been heard" public.
"I am proud that the European Commission has played a positive role in the defense of European values and digital Europe," said today in a statement the Digital Agenda Commissioner Neelie Kroes, who has said this week that the tax would hurt Hungary, a country that is below the average growth in digital.
Meanwhile, spokesman for Digital Agenda, Ryan Heath, said today the need to be especially careful when applying different regulations or taxes affecting internet, given its global nature.
"Internet is a complicated world that moves so fast," said the daily briefing of the EU executive, after asking those involved to work in a "spirit of dialogue" and cooperate with the European Commission to avoid applying regulations that do not work or disappoint people.
Source: Reuters-EFE
