Hungary’s government is considering introducing a tax on big retailers, following the example of Poland, to spread the public burden more evenly among businesses, according to press reports.
If the Polish retail tax works, Hungary may introduce a new tax or fee on big retailers to level the playing field, government commissioner for trade policy Kristóf Szatmáry told daily Magyar Idők.
Poland’s finance ministry has proposed a progressive tax on retailers with monthly sales of more than 1.5 million zlotys, or a little more than 100 million forints. Szatmáry noted that Hungary had recently rolled back an increase of its own supermarket oversight fee after the European Commission voiced objections.
Now the government is waiting to see Brussels’ reaction to the plan in Warsaw, he added. The EC had said the progressive rate structure of the oversight fee between 0-6% “provides companies with a low turnover a selective advantage over their competitors, in breach of EU state aid rules”.
