In a bid to combat the declining birth rate and curb immigration, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has announced a set of measures that incentivize marriage and family growth. These initiatives include a lifetime exemption from personal income tax for women raising at least four children. Additionally, the government plans to provide subsidies for larger families to purchase larger vehicles, along with the creation of 21,000 new creche places.
Orban emphasized the need for more Hungarian children, stating, “We do not need numbers. We need Hungarian children.” He criticized “mixed population countries” and warned that Christian countries are on the path to becoming minority Christian nations.
This is not the first time Hungary has implemented policies to promote marriage and childbirth. A few years ago, a scheme offering subsidized loans to couples marrying before the bride’s 41st birthday led to a surge in weddings. This new plan, announced in 2019, offered couples loans up to 10 million forints ($33,000). One-third of the loan was forgiven for couples having two children, and the entire debt was wiped clean upon the birth of their third child, according to Reuters.
Hungary’s approach to tackling population decline stands in contrast to other European nations that have opted for immigration as a solution. Orban sees immigration as a threat and believes that promoting Hungarian families is the key to sustaining the country’s identity and future.
