Orban: 'Every life counts', tax cuts in pipeline

"Every life counts", Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a radio interview on Friday, while also flagging tax cuts next year. The new restrictions introduced on Tuesday to curb the spread of Covid-19 were "timely" and "precise", Orban said, adding that the health-care system was up to the task of ensuring that all Hungarians receive "decent care". In a step designed to help the hospitality industry, the government will reduce the VAT on takeout meals -- the only form of service restaurants are currently allowed to provide -- to 5 percent, Orban said. The measure was taken in consultation with the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Trade, he said.