Press Release: State aid: Commission opens two in-depth investigations into Hungary’s food chain inspection fee and tax on tobacco sales

On 15 July 2015 the European Commission has opened two separate in-depth investigations to further examine whether two recent Hungarian measures with steeply progressive rate structures are in line with EU state aid rules. The first measure concerns a food chain inspection fee and the second a tax on turnover from the production and trade of tobacco products. At this stage, the Commission has concerns in both cases that the progressivity of the rates based on turnover provides companies with a low turnover a selective advantage over their competitors, in breach of EU state aid rules.