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The new family support measures introduced on 1 January are popular, and Hungarians consider them and the already existing ones important and useful, the Secretary of State for Family Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation wrote on Tuesday on her Facebook page. Ágnes Hornung also referred to the latest research by the Kopp Mária Institute for Population and Families (KINCS) regarding the allowances.
The ministry’s statement stressed that in the current difficult economic situation, the government is not giving up on basic values, defending family benefits and even extending them further this year: from 1 January, mothers who have children up to the age of 30 will also benefit from a personal income tax exemption and will have their student loans waived.
From this year onwards, pensions have increased significantly, tax relief for parents of children with a long-term illness or severe disability, language examination grants and the interest rate on the baby bond have also been increased, while the baby-expecting loan and the rural family housing support remain available, among other benefits.
The statement also presented a nationally representative survey conducted by KINCS in February among 1,000 people, which found that Hungarians are well informed about the new measures affecting families, with two-thirds (64%) of people having heard of them, and women, people with children and the elderly being the most informed.
According to the survey,
four out of five people think that families are greatly helped by the personal income tax exemption for mothers under 30 and the cancellation of their student loans, and there is almost unanimous support for extra family tax allowances for those with children who are permanently ill or severely disabled.
They pointed out that the popularity of the allowances is also demonstrated by the take-up figures: more than 3,000 women have already claimed the personal income tax exemption for mothers under 30. This means an average of HUF 52,000 extra income per month for the women concerned, which they can claim from their earned income and family support benefits.
In addition, more than 50 women have benefited from the student loan waiver linked to having children since 1 January, according to the Student Loan Center. And the additional tax relief for families with a child who is permanently ill or severely disabled has been claimed in more than 26,000 cases since January, they added.
It was also announced that
so far this year, around 3,500 new families have applied for the baby-support loan, meaning that more than 210,000 families have already taken advantage of the scheme since its introduction in 2019.
The rural family housing support (falusi CSOK), including new applications, has already been applied for in almost 36,000 cases, the VAT refund for general contractor housing and new home purchases, also extended from 1 January, has been applied for in 14,000 cases since its introduction, and the VAT refund for self-builds of up to HUF 5 million has been applied for in almost 18,000 cases.
Overall, the family policy measures introduced or extended in January have become widely known in this short period of time and the number of people claiming the benefits is gradually increasing, the statement concluded.
Featured photo via Pexels
