BUDAPEST, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Hungarian government is planning extraordinary measures such as tax exemption for life for mothers with three children to stop the demographic decline of the country, local media reported on Tuesday.
"The next national consultation will be an important milestone for government policy to address demographic problems," the Magyar Idok (Hungarian Times) daily newspaper reported, based on sources very close to the government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
"According to the government, families with children should be supported, and immigration is not the answer to demographic problems," the newspaper added.
Hungary has seen its population decline from close to 12 million people in the 1970s to less than 10 million currently, and the death rate surpasses the birth rate each year by around 60,000 people.
The fight against the demographic decline of Hungary has been stated as one of the most important goals of the Orban government for the period between 2018 and 2022.
The Orban government, fiercely opposed to immigration in the European Union, has been conducting national consultations on a regular basis, asking the Hungarian population about its current policies.
Magyar Idok explained that the government has already published its questions on demography for the next consultation, and these would be published in the near future.
"Following the consultation, new government measures are to be expected, even the total exemptions of mothers with three children from income tax, for their whole life," according to the newspaper.
The government also mulls the possibility of extending the parental leave for the father.
