Hungary seeks recovery of 21 billion forints in misused sports subsidies

The Hungarian Ministry of Interior’s sports state secretariat is seeking to recover more than 21 billion forints in misappropriated TAO (corporate tax) subsidies. Following a detailed review of the 2022–2026 accounting for six major team sports—ice hockey, handball, basketball, football, volleyball, and water polo—authorities identified improper use of funds.

While approximately 500 billion forints in support was distributed to nearly 2,500 sports organizations during this period, the audit revealed significant discrepancies. State Secretary Attila Kálnoki-Kiss noted that the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) has already successfully recovered 1.98 billion forints.

Enforcement proceedings are currently underway for 241 cases involving more than 10.3 billion forints. However, authorities have reported that in 121 cases, totaling over 7 billion forints, the recovery of state funds has so far been unsuccessful. The sports secretariat stated its goal is to establish a transparent sports financing system.