Hungarian cellcos rail against new telecoms tax

Hungary’s three leading mobile network operators – T-Mobile Hungary, Telenor (formerly Pannon) and Vodafone – have protested to the government that its proposed new tax on the industry reneges on its earlier promise to the industry. In a statement, the three firms said they were ‘shocked to learn [that] the government amended its planned tax on telephone calls’. The cellcos lodged their complaint during preliminary talks with the government, arguing that the state had suggested a tax on consumers – rather than this new tax, which would hit telecoms companies instead. ‘Instead of getting rid of ‘crisis’ taxes as promised, the companies deem unacceptable this procedure that imposes on them a new tax,’ their statement read.