Government plan to cut family benefits to hit poorest

Contrary to the government's plans to include family benefits in income and tax them on a sliding scale, Ferge said that benefits could be scrapped for families with two parents and one child over five unless the child is disabled - but only as a temporary measure for the time of the economic crisis. 

"Many blame the poor for the crisis; there are negative myths around the poor which can be hardly justified," Ferge said and called for immediate government assistance for the poorest. 

Family benefits are the basic income for many families living deep below the poverty line, said a report published by the Hungarian Anti-Poverty Network on Wednesday. 

"Eighty percent of our income comes from the family benefit," the report quoted a mother of four living in south Hungary. "If we did not receive that, we would starve to death. My youngest child has an impaired vision, which makes it impossible for me to take a job," the woman added.