Mr. Orbán explained that this is the final stage of the economic plan launched in 2010: financial stability after achieving economic growth of between 1 and 3 per cent, and then 3–5 per cent, which will definitely be achieved both this year and next year.
“We must also continue our policy of cutting taxes, and this is what next year’s budget is based on”, he declared, mentioning the cuts in VAT, the lowest corporation tax rate in the European Union, and the fact that the Government has also “not given up on its plans” to reduce personal income tax.
“The father of this economic policy is György Matolcsy, and its implementation is being conducted by Mihály Varga”, but the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also deserves acknowledgement, he added.
The Prime Minister also spoke about demographic targets, which aim to make the Hungarian nation a community that is capable of sustaining itself by the year 2030. A precondition for this is families who feel secure, and this “requires men and women; this is one reason we pursue an old-fashioned policy, according to which a family means a man and a woman”, he said. “In addition, we must introduce many new government measures”, he added, “including further family support and home creation measures, we must make it easier to find employment and we must also reorganise the education system”.
[1]Evaluating his recent official visit to China, Mr. Orbán said that “China’s role in the global economy will increase significantly over the new few decades”. The countries invited to the forum in Beijing were those which could play a role in the growth of the global economy over the next two or three decades, he said. These included Hungary, which is “excellent news”, he stressed, adding that the Hungarians are in a better position than they used to be, because the country’s finances are now in order.
The Prime Minister said that the most important thing is for Hungarian products to be able to have unrestricted entry to the Chinese market. Referring to the fact that Hungary occupies a prominent position in terms of the number of Chinese import licences it has been awarded , he said that Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó and his ministry “have done a fantastic job”. He pointed out that “The most important thing for Hungarians is that we should be able to export our goods not only to the West, but also to the East. We can feel secure if and when there is excess demand for Hungarian agricultural products”.
Mr. Orbán described the Bank of China’s regional headquarters, Huawei’s distribution centre and China’s regional tourism office as major Chinese “flagships” in Hungary.
The Prime Minister was asked whether the atmosphere was better during negotiations in China or talks in Brussels. He replied that the atmosphere was more cheerful in China, because there efforts to achieve harmony are at the centre of philosophical thinking; meanwhile at the centre of Western politics are attempts to enforce freedom, and the latter “always means conflict”, because European politics is “in a continuous state of high alert related to potential dangers to freedom”. In summary the Prime Minister said that the atmosphere was easier in China, but more difficult intellectually, because the Chinese “know their own interests with geometric precision”, and are not prepared to compromise an inch on them.