The opposition parties in parliament have asked the top court for a constitutional review of a government decision to deprive municipalities of vehicle tax revenues.
The Constitutional Court should create a precedent and demonstrate that not even during a state of emergency is the government allowed to do what it wants, Jobbik, MSZP (Socialist Party), DK, LMP, Párbeszéd and independent lawmakers Bernadett Szél and Ákos Hadházy said in a joint statement on Thursday.
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The government has drawn away part of the vehicle registration tax, parking revenues and in certain localities even local business taxes from the municipalities to cover the costs of response to the novel coronavirus epidemic, they said.
These government decisions, however, pose a risk to local services that must be carried out by the municipalities at a time when their tasks had been significantly expanded, it added.
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For instance, looking after patients in home quarantine has been made a municipal responsibility, they said, adding that in certain localities even the central government’s tasks are carried out by the local authorities.
Featured photo illustration by Zsolt Czeglédi/MTI