A leaked internal economic blueprint suggests that Hungary’s main opposition party, Tisza, is preparing a sweeping left-wing turn, outlining tax rises and state expansion if it comes to power following the parliamentary elections in April 2026.
The several-hundred-page document, obtained by news website Index, sets out a comprehensive overhaul of Hungary’s system of public contributions, heavily prioritising social equality and state-led redistribution.
According to the draft, the party would seek at least 1.3 trillion forint (€3.4 billion) in additional annual revenue, not through growth—but through extensive tax and contribution increases.
Proposed Tisza measures include the introduction of progressive income tax rates, deep cuts to family tax allowances, and a new wealth tax. The latter would levy 6.5% annually on all assets owned by individuals with total wealth above 500 million forint (€1.3 million), covering property, vehicles above 1,600cc, business shares, financial instruments, art, and even high-value jewellery.
The plan also outlines a 32% general VAT rate—among the highest in Europe—paired with new excise duties on alcohol and tobacco.
The programme’s scale has prompted sharp criticism from Prime Minister Viktor Orbán:
When the left comes, austerity always follows. They raise VAT, impose wealth taxes, introduce special taxes, and take people’s money. It’s simple: with the left you get tax hikes, with the right you get tax cuts.
Orbán—like his conservative Fidesz party, known for its pro-family and low-tax policies—has long warned that Tisza would raise taxes to fuel Brussels’s war-machine through continued funding for Ukraine.
The leak places the Tisza Party—a member of the centre-right European People’s Party—in the unusual position of championing policies far to the left of its European political family.
