Defending ‘Christian Europe’: Hungarian PM Ties Tax Breaks To Making Babies

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban has announced a slew of tax benefits and subsidies to encourage families to have more children, Deutsche Welle has reported.

Orban has pitched his policy aimed at creating more Hungarians as a counter to promoting EU-backed immigration.

"There are fewer and fewer children born in Europe. For the West, the answer (to that challenge) is immigration. For every missing child there should be one coming in and then the numbers will be fine", he said.

“But we do not need numbers. We need Hungarian children”, he added.

Orban called on Hungarian voters to defend "Christian" nations against immigration, which he said led to the "virus of terrorism".

Orban added: that "Historic traditions in immigrant countries come to an end...in such countries Christian-Muslim worlds are created with continually shrinking Christian proportions."

Orban unveiled a seven-point package of tax breaks and subsidies to encourage families to have more children.

Orban has proposed a low-interest loan of 10 million forints ($35,300) for women under the age of 40 who are marrying for the first time. A third of the loan would be waived after a second child and the entire sum waived after a third child.

Orban also said that a lifetime personal income-tax exemption will be provided for women who give birth to and raise at least four children.

He announced a subsidy of 2.5 million forints ($8,825) towards the purchase of a seven-seat vehicle for families with three or more children. He also proposed linking housing subsidies to families based on the number of children.