Posted on 04/22/2023 5:16:56 AM PDT by econjack
Recently, I was on vacation in Budapest, Hungary, taking one of those bus trips of the city. Our guide was a young lady, probably mid-20's, who spoke excellent English but had always lived in Budapest. We drove by a major university and she said that a college education was free in Hungary. When we drove past a large city bus stop, she quickly pointed out that it, too, was free. Finally, we drove past a large hospital where I was told that medical care was free.
Curious, I asked her what her income tax rate was and she relied that everyone paid a 15% income tax. Indeed, she made it sound like a true fixed rate with no deductions.
I asked if there were any other taxes and she said yes, there was a Value Added Tax (VAT) on goods and services. It's much like a national sales tax. The rate is 27% on almost everything. Lower rates (18%) applied to some fresh meat and dairy products and outdoor concerts (?). So, all that "free stuff" means the gov't takes 42% of everything you earn to pay for the "free stuff". Oh, and you can't go to college at all unless you pass a qualifying exam. And, if you need a heart operation, you get in line and wait up to 18 months to have the surgery...unless you die first.
As they say, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
” Oh, and you can’t go to college at all unless you pass a qualifying exam.”
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Actually I support this. It’s a waste of money sending stupid people to college. The only thing it accomplishes is to keep these people out of the workforce that much longer so the unemployment rate appears lower.
VAT taxes are evil
I agree. At least they’re educating people that are capable of being educated.
We on the other hand send every illeterate ignoramus to college and pay for them by forgiving their student loans.
Hungary is under attack by the woke green pervo EU+ (plus the DC globalists). It seems Trump and the current Hungarian leadership are the only hope to prevent their perverted end game.
Fidesz MEP Refutes Criticism of Hungary’s Child Protection Act
https://hungarytoday.hu/fidesz-mep-refutes-criticism-of-hungarys-child-protection-act/
Not a clear statement of your position. Do you favor “free” college or the fact that they must take a qualifying exam to go to college?
Sounds like Socialism 101.
Canada has a vat also, it was 17% 30 years ago, don’t know now. The waiting period for major surgeries was well over a year. Many Canadians just crossed over the boarder to the US and had surgeries.
I favor an aptitude test to weed out those too stupid to belong in college. And no I don’t believe in free college though I’m not against financial assistance to promising students who otherwise couldn’t afford it.
Although i do not support a VAT, at least they are spending the money on their own people instead of on “refugees” and “immigrants” like in America.
The qualifying exam for college is a good idea. College may be “free” but they require you to be qualified before you can get in. And the exams are no joke.
This system would never have a chance in the USA, which is so ashamed of itself that it is eliminating exams and requirements and basing rewards on skin shade and/or sexual preferences.
Free almost always mean “paid for by others”
It’s still not hard. You just can’t get the major you want unless you get a high test score. So city boys and girls end up stuck in majors like large animal veterinary if they want to go to college.
>The qualifying exam for college is a good idea.
I agree. This is one of the very few things Europe does better than America. It is not a Hungarian invention though. Nearly every country in Europe does it.
On other topics Hungary is economically a basket case. Some right-wing outlets just instinctively praise them because Hungary is perceived as right-wing, but their economic policy is Socialism and it is not a novel idea to combine Socialism with Nationalism.
Anyway, it doesn’t work for them either as Socialism never does and never has.
She died from another heart attack about 5 weeks later.
I read somewhere that Seattle hospitals performed over 57,000 major surgeries on Canadians and they paid for it with their own money. Guess that "free" healthcare Hillary touted years ago isn't all that great.
In countries with a high degree of social homogeneity, and a high level of social responsibility, like Switzerland or Hungary, socialism works a lot better than in the United States where social differences are enormous and no genuine sense of community is achievable.
I’m old enough to remember when you were proud to be an American. Too many people take what that really means for granted.
If they voted for it, why is it my concern?
High taxes isn’t necessarily socialism.
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