Lawyer's addressLövőház utca 20/A.
1024 Budapest Hungary
Attorney's phone number Tel.: +36 1 316 9233
Law office's fax number Fax.: +36 1 336 0107
Attorney's office e-mail info@drlittner.hu

Tax Authority plans changes

napi.hu, 05.10.2016. – Such changes should give taxpayers a real chance to win their disputes with the authority (currently 80 per cent of all lawsuits initiated are won by NAV, the Hungarian Tax Authority) and to ensure that honest taxpayers are pestered less frequently. However, independent experts say it would not be a good idea to ignore unanimous whistle-blowers (another plan of the management) because they are an irreplaceable source of information.

The management of NAV would also give taxpayers more opportunities to pay their debts. Currently, unpaid tax obligations are subject to forcible collection on the second or third banking day after they have become due. Experts, however, warn that payment warnings and on-site distrainment are more costly than forcible collections from taxpayers’ bank accounts.

Satellite settlements’ decreasing popularity

napi.hu, 26.09.2016. – The population of Budapest is increasing by almost 0.6 per cent a year, while the settlements in the outskirts are rapidly losing popularity. The inner districts of the capital are more and more appealing to apartment buyers, which is reflected in increasing prices. Ten to fifteen years ago Budapest and several other large Hungarian towns were facing slumming, a phenomenon known by Western metropolises, i.e. the radical worsening of standards of living in the inner districts. However, development projects succeeded in reversing this tendency and now potential buyers are again showing increased interest in downtown areas. At the same time, the population growth of satellite settlements has slowed down: while at the turn of the millennium some of these places registered an annual growth rate of as high as 4-7 percent, today there are hardly any that grow at a rate exceeding 1 per cent a year.

CSOK has still not taken grip

napi.hu, 27.09.2016. – The initial enthusiasm has ebbed and now CSOK (Family Home Allowance) does not seem to be such a success story after all. Real estate agents say the most serious problem is the sluggishness of the approval and disbursement procedure, which in turn causes extreme difficulties to construction contractors. CSOK is unlike a bank loan that you can apply for during the construction phase. The future allowance must be pre-financed either by the buyer or the developer. Most applicants are still waiting for their money even though they signed their contracts months ago. Banks regularly reject the documents, requesting new or additional information or amendments. On account of the poor experience of the past months developers and construction contractors are not happy to deal with CSOK clients and ask their real agents not to engage buyers who want to finance their purchase of a new apartment from CSOK.