Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

The only certainty is uncertainty

The only certainty is uncertainty

Well, the past couple of months in Hungary have certainly been eventful. The demise of the Kata taxation system has sent many budding entrepreneurs to the wall and killed the efforts of many more to supplement their already meagre incomes. The fall-out won’t be immediately obvious and few really understand the consequences of this mid-year tax about-turn.

Kata was more than a taxation system. It epitomised hope, independence, and freedom. Economist Zsolt Babocsai wrote an excellent piece that is worth your time. As I read his take on the demise of Kata, a little bit of me died, too.

The lifting of subsidies on gas and electricity and the corresponding hike in energy prices sent people to the shops in search of wood-burning stoves. Firewood is attracting premium prices. The environmental cause has been set back years. The figurative black cloud hanging over this country will be all too visible come November.

Of course, Hungary is not the only country facing a long, cold winter. It’s not a localised problem. The war in Ukraine is having far-reaching effects.

People are talking about going back to the office so that they don’t have to heat their homes during the day, while schools are talking about sending students home, so they don’t have to heat their classrooms. If it wasn’t so worrying, I’d laugh. But that laughter would be tainted with anxiety. More of a nervous titter than a belly bomb.

Each day I wake up, I wonder what next. What law was passed while the nation slept? What changes will this day bring? What new bureaucracy will need to be navigated?

The only certainty is uncertainty.

A neighbour recently retired after 40 years in the private sector. Their pension? About €250 a month. With spiralling food prices and increased utility bills, their retirement plans are overshadowed by thoughts of survival. Long-term futures have morphed into short-term thoughts of simply getting through the winter.

Expats in Hungary are largely cushioned by earnings and pensions that stem from euro, dollar, and sterling systems. Indeed, with the exchange rates the way they are, it’s arguably a good time to be in Hungary, as long as you’re not being paid in forints. On the flip side, those earning in HUF are facing a figurative economic wall that makes moving to, say, Austria or Germany, financially difficult, if not impossible.

Hungarian professionals working for multinationals will likely weather the storm, too. But those on fixed pensions, already scraping by, will face the annual choice between heating and eating. Last year, between October and January, 118 people died at home in Hungary from exposure. The mind boggles.

Perhaps because I’m unduly bothered about the state of chassis in which I find the country, I’m interested in hearing what others have to say about the situation. I read both sides. I read the comments. I listen.

More well-to-do Hungarian friends and most ex-pats I talk to don’t appear to be all that bothered. It is what it is. Kata, they say, was being abused. It was time to kill it. And fair enough. Yes. It was being abused. By some. But the majority hadn’t even invoiced the equivalent of a minimum wage. Paper, as my mother would say, will take any print.

As for the energy crisis – that’s global. And yes, it is.

Concerning the overnight lawmaking, why let that upset you? It’s become standard practice.

And the possibility of Hungary leaving the EU? That won’t go to referendum, they say. It’ll be something we wake up to.

Were I to sit down and have my anxiety analysed, HUXIT would be close to the core. That the notion has been christened bothers me. Things with names are somehow more real. What then, I wonder. What then?

I’m not alone in my worries. Hungarian friends in average jobs or freelancing are seriously worried about their futures here. Ex-pats struggling with the rightness of it all are worried, too.

As someone who is regularly told that she’s the ‘right kind of foreigner’, i.e. a church-going white European, I wonder what my fate would be were Hungary no longer part of the EU? William Galston, of the non-partisan Brookings Institution, commented recently: ‘If Trumpism is a political religion, Budapest is its Rome.’ But me being (or not being) the right kind of foreigner is nothing to those across Europe who are waking to the realisation that they’re not the right kind of citizen. Russian citizens jailed or fleeing because they are against the war. Ukrainians who are also Russian sympathisers being arrested.

In those minutes before slipping into sleep at night or waking fully in the morning, all sorts of scenarios run through my head, the worst of which is answering a knock on the door to be told we no longer want your kind and yes, we’ll take the keys to your flat, too.

A future with ‘less [sic] drag queens and more Chuck Norris’ isn’t exactly how I’d envisioned my retirement.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
×