SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Hungary pledges reform after IMF demands

Hungary's government said it would plough on with deficit-slashing reforms demanded by the IMF and EU, and aimed to become Central Europe's most stable country "as quickly as possible".

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Hungary's government said it would plough on with deficit-slashing reforms demanded by the IMF and EU, and aimed to become Central Europe's most stable country "as quickly as possible".

This was after both bodies said after a mission to Budapest this month on financial aid that the country had to do more to reduce its public deficit.

"The Hungarian government will continue the policy of structural reform in the areas qualified most important by our partners such as the fiscal system, public health and public transport," Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"The goal of the government is that Hungary becomes as quickly as possible one of the most competitive and stable countries in Central Europe," he said in a statement.

Negotiations with the European Union and International Monetary Fund would continue, he said.

The IMF head of mission in Hungary, Christoph Rosenberg, said Saturday the country had to make "difficult decisions" to cut its public deficit, in particular in slashing spending and restructuring public enterprises.

The targets was to reduce the deficit to 3.8 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 and less than three percent in 2011 remain appropriate "but supplementary measures are going to have to be taken to reach them," he said.

Rosenberg said in a statement that measures to increase revenue, such as a planned tax on banks and the financial sector, had to be complemented by "lasting" cuts in spending.

It has been estimated that the new tax could raise up to 650 million euros (815 million dollars) in additional annual revenues both this year and next year.

But banks have criticised the move and the EU executive body said Saturday the levy would help in the short term but could also have "a significantly negative impact on the country's investment climate and economic growth."

The European Commission also said the corrective measures considered by the government so far were "largely of a temporary nature" and "fall somewhat short" of what is required.

"Hence, the government has to make increased efforts to bring the deficit below 3.0 percent of GDP, on a sustainable basis, in 2011," it said.

Hungary narrowly escaped bankruptcy in late 2008, thanks to a 20-billion-euro financial lifeline from the IMF and the EU in a deal that expires in October.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world