According to the owner of 24.hu, the advertising tax is a punishment for Hungarian newspapers, and Facebook will benefit from it.

Zoltán Varga expressed concerns about the planned return of the advertising tax, stating it would severely impact independent media. The tax, initially introduced in 2014 and suspended in 2019, is set to return at a rate of 3.75% on revenue. Varga criticized the lack of consultation regarding this decision, which he believes will further disadvantage local media against global platforms like Meta and Google. He warned that the tax could jeopardize the operational and developmental resources of media companies, particularly smaller regional outlets already struggling financially. Varga urged the government to reconsider this move, as it could hinder economic growth and exacerbate existing challenges in the media sector.