Last year HUF 1200 million was offered to the National Talent Programme by Hungarian taxpayers.
In Hungary, taxpayers have the option to decide about 2 per cent of their tax. One per cent can be given to foundations, NGOs, institutions and social organizations working for public benefit. Most people vote for organizations in their closer communities supporting educational, healthcare and cultural activities. The other one per cent can be given to registered religious communities and churches. Anyone who does not want to support any of those denominations may decide to instead support programmes of national importance that benefit the whole nation.
The idea of the system is that – it costs the taxpayer nothing – each taxpayer may support important local and national activities.
Since 2008 the National Talent Programme has been one of those programmes, and the only one since 2011. The amount collected that way is doubled by the State.
In 2014, more than 320 thousand taxpayers offered the amount of HUF 1,217,721,031 (approx. EUR 4 million). That is slightly less than a year before, in keeping with the national trend of a drop in personal income tax.
The National Talent Programme was established by a decree of the Hungarian Parliament in 2008 for a period of 20 years. Under the initiative, hundreds of foundations, institutions and organizations help gifted youngsters all over Hungary and beyond the borders in the ethnic Hungarian regions of the neighbouring countries.
