Thousands Turn Out To Protest in Hungary – Would You Pay Tax on Your Internet Use?

Paying tax on your internet use may seem like a ludicrous idea, but for the people of Hungary, it may very well be about to become a reality. Tens of thousands of protesters marched the streets of Budapest last night to demonstrate against the proposed government plans to introduce a tax on internet usage. Last night’s protest was organised via Facebook and attracted thousands of people across all sectors. The plans are set to take shape in 2015 and the protesters in Hungary are infuriated by what they see as an ‘authoritarian’ approach by the government. The proposal is part of a number of new measures which are expected to be introduced by the Hungarian government. However, internet users and service providers have branded the idea as anti-democratic. People came out in force to protest the proposal.  If introduced, the proposal will see Hungarians fork out money per gigabyte used, with companies possibly facing high taxes on usage. Speaking to Deutsche Welle, protestor Daniel Mayer said; “It is symbolic, because the Internet is something which was free and not controlled or influenced by the government…my problem is not the money, it’s the principle of it which makes me angry. “The government just wants money and they have run out of ideas. They have a tax on banks, on grocery stores, on telecommunication companies and now they have decided to tax the Internet.” Other protestors claimed that the tax was an attempt by Prime Minister Viktor Orbanto to restrict the freedom of information. “Those who use the Internet see more of the world, that’s why the government doesn’t want a free Internet. We’re not going to pay an Internet tax to a corrupt tax authority,” said organizer Balazs Gulyas.  Thousands of people took to the streets. (Pics: Getty).