Hungary Considers Incentive for Women to Have More Babies As Immigration Soars

Hungarian mothers of four or more might never have to pay income tax again. The incentive is aimed at boosting Hungary’s population.
Hungary and other Eastern European countries have struggled with shrinking populations for years as many young people leave for better paying jobs in other EU countries.

Instead of loosening the country’s immigration policies, right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán proposed new laws to incentivize women to have more children. His seven-point plan to reverse the country’s demographic decline introduces family subsidies for home and car ownership, mortgage relief, and “increased child credits.” Every woman under the age of 40 who marries for the first time will also be eligible for a nearly $35,000 loan “to start their new lives.”

Orbán emphasized the plan doesn’t include immigrants as a method to boost the population, stating, “We Hungarians have a different way of thinking. We don’t just want numbers, we want Hungarian babies.”

According to a statement from the government, the Hungarian race is in jeopardy if the country’s “disastrous demographic trends” continue.

“It isn’t inscribed in humanity’s ‘big book’ that there must always be Hungarians,” said Orbán.

He went on to say that immigration boosts crime and spread disease.

The proposal comes as Orbán prepares for EU parliamentary elections in May.

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