Hungary on Monday imposed a fine of around 745,000 francs on the airline Ryanair, which charges passengers its exceptional tax on companies put in place against inflation.
“The consumer protection authority has today found a violation of the law, the airline having misled consumers through unfair commercial practices,” the justice minister wrote on Facebook.
“The amount of the fine: 300 million forints”, added Judit Varga, who intends to “protect the Hungarian people” against the high cost of living, in times of inflation and during the war in Ukraine.
The nationalist government of Viktor Orban has been at loggerheads with Ryanair, Hungary’s largest airline, since it imposed a tax on the additional profits of certain companies financing its policy of capping energy and food prices food.
Between 10 and 25 euros per ticket from July 1, it is charged to passengers by Ryanair, including for reservations prior to this date.
When it was instituted in June, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary offered to gift the Hungarian government with a ‘savings for dummies’ pamphlet, blaming it for a ‘dumb tax’ that could lead to a ‘dramatic drop in the air traffic in Hungary’.
The company immediately said it would pass the tax on to its customers.
/ATS