Gov’t plans to formally introduce “Stop Soros” bill before parliament’s spring session
Benjamin Novak
Pro-government print daily Magyar Idők reports the government’s “Stop Soros” legislative proposal will be formally submitted to parliament before the National Assembly reconvenes for its spring session on February 19th. According to Magyar Idők, the package of legal changes is being prepared “at full blast.”
Goulash legislation
Bence Tuzson, an undersecretary with the Cabinet Office of the Prime Minister, commonly referred to as the propaganda ministry, said over the weekend that the government had received hundreds of tips from citizens (as part of the bill’s “social consultation”) concerning ways to improve the bill, including
- Raising the initially-planned special tax of 25 percent on the foreign income of organizations deemed by the government to support illegal migration,
- “Tightening the criminal code,”
- Requiring organizations supporting illegal migration to keep Hungarian bank accounts
- Requiring said organizations to register themselves as foreign agents. (Regarding this last point, Tuzson reportedly likened the registration to the US’ Foreign Agents Registration Act. Critics argue Fidesz politicians intentionally and improperly cite the US law as a pretext to harass NGOs critical of the government.)
According to Tuzson, the government intends to incorporate a summary of these tips into the final version of the bill to be submitted to parliament in early February.