Hungary has decided to shelve a proposed tax on
internet data traffic after mass protests against the plan.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said "This tax in its current form cannot be introduced."
Large-scale protests began, when
demonstrators hurled old computer parts at the headquarters of Mr Orban's
ruling Fidesz*** party.
Prime Minister (Miniszterelnök) Viktor Mihály Orbáni of Hungary and
the president of the national conservative ruling party Fidesz.
He was a vice
chairman in the Liberal International from 1992 to 2000, a Vice President in
the European People's Party from 2002 to 2012 and the Prime Minister of Hungary from 1998 to 2002.
Since 2010, Orbán
has been the Prime Minister of Hungary with a two-thirds majority of the seats
in the Parliament of Hungary, which his party received in both
the 2010 and the 2014 elections.
The draft law - condemned by the EU - would levy a
fee on each gigabyte of internet data transferred.
The protesters objected to the financial burden but
also feared the move would restrict free expression and access to information.
The levy was set at 150 forints (£0.40; 0.50 euros;
$0.60) per gigabyte of data traffic.
After thousands protested the government decided to
cap the tax at 700 forints per month for individuals and 5,000 forints for
companies. But that did not placate the crowds.
*** The Fidesz –
Hungarian Civic Alliance is a major national conservative political party in Hungary.
Fidesz and the Christian Democratic
People's Party have
a two-thirds supermajority in the National Assembly, which they received in both the 2010 and
the 2014 elections.
Fidesz is, by far,
the most popular party in Hungary, with majorities in all county legislatures (19 from 19), near all (20 from
23) urban counties and in the Budapest city
council too, based on the 2014 local elections.
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