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Budapest’s popular 100E airport shuttle bus will cease operation?
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The opposition leadership of Hungary’s capital, Budapest, and the Hungarian government have been quarrelling since 2019. Now it seems their conflict might reach another milestone. If Budapest decides not to pay its taxes, the government may terminate to transfer its allocations for the capital. And that may result in the collapse of Budapest’s public transport system, including even the 100E airport shuttle line.
Budapest’s public transport system is unique since it gains its revenues from at least three sources. The first one is obvious, the income after the ticket and pass sales. Meanwhile, the second and third ones are the contributions of the Hungarian government and the city council. The former has been problematic.
Budapest citizens chose an opposition leader in the local government elections in 2019. Even though PM Viktor Orbán highlighted the importance of cooperation, conflicts began to develop quickly. One is the traffic system of Hungary’s symbolic and renewed Chain Bridge. Karácsony would like to preserve it for the taxis, buses, and pedestrians, while the government insists on letting cars back on the overpass.
The latest dispute is about Budapest’s contribution to the state budget. The name of the tax is ‘solidarity contribution’ and the leadership of the city wants to withhold it because they believe it is too high. Budapest began a court trial against the Hungarian state treasury concerning the issue and does not want to pay the tax until it is finished. The answer of the government is to halt state budget payments Budapest receives, telex.hu wrote.
Ambrus Kiss, Budapest’s deputy mayor, said that provided the government ceases to transfer financial supply, Budapest would no longer finance the operation of MÁV, the Hungarian State Railways and Volánbusz, the country’s main bus service provider. Mr Kiss added that the contribution of Budapest for the two companies is worth HUF 548 million (EUR 1.469 million) per month. That money is spent on the public transport service between the suburbs and the city, including, for example, the 100E airport shuttle bus. Budapest Airport is not in Budapest but between Vecsés and Üllő, two suburbs, small cities close to the capital.
“Come on CHILDREN, stop playing your Games”
It gets to this type of situation, the “games” people play – the POWER games, that in the case of Budapest, Hungary – millions of citizens get the RAW deal of the GAMES.
Grow up, and show display MATURITY and logic in your application, of the positions you hold, appointed by the citizens to firstly act in there INTERESTS and NOT for you, as Politicians or “other” grandstanding, endeavouring to win “brownie points” and totally acting for your self image and identification.
I’m (reasonably) sure they’ll smooth it out and figure out a deal but it’s annoying and unnecessary. Both sides have decent arguments so just hash it out and let’s turn toward things of real importance.
I’m curious to know how much city and the state contribute vs what comes from the riders hip. And also how the state government which controls collecting the lions hare of taxes from income tax, road tax and sakes tax thinks City councils should further tap to raise yet more money.