Parliament introduces extra childcare benefit

Lawmakers on Monday adopted a government-initiated package called extra childcare benefit designed to encourage young couples to have more children.

Under the new legislation, mothers will be able to return to work when their child is one year old, and continue to receive childcare benefits. The system will also be applied to students and young graduates, and firms employing mothers with three or more children will be eligible for further tax incentives.

The extra childcare benefit is a milestone in handling the problem of a shrinking population, deputy head of the ruling Fidesz party Lajos Kosa told a press conference earlier in the day.

Most women want to have two or three children, but in many cases they have to choose between their career or motherhood, he said, adding that the new scheme would allow young mothers to work without giving up their benefit.

The extra childcare benefit will promote employment among women, Kosa said.