If there is one thing on which Hungary’s entire political mainstream agrees, it is that the country’s generous welfare state needs drastic reform. Needless to say, there is little agreement on what these reforms should look like, nor on how they should be financed.
The numbers tell the story: Hungary’s tax-and-spend culture has resulted in a redistribution ratio of about 50 per cent, compared to numbers in the 30 per cent range for its regional competitors, including Slovakia and the Baltic states.
