OKSZ calls for a reduction in public charges for the SZÉP card

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 11. 17. 11:24

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The National Trade Association welcomes the extension of the SZÉP card’s usability to the purchase of cold food, because it can both help the population in purchasing basic food and stimulate retail turnover, but at the same time it proposes to reduce the maximum 3.6 percent transaction fee for cold food purchases with the SZÉP card – the association told MTI on Monday.

According to the statement, it is proposed that SZÉP cards used in retail trade should not be charged by the Hungarian A 50 percent fee must be paid to the Hungarian Tourism Association Foundation (MTSZA). Thus, the current maximum transaction fee of 3.6 percent payable to the payment service provider for cold food purchases could be reduced to a more manageable level.

According to their description, the transaction cost of SZÉP card purchases is 3.6 percent, which is about 3 percentage points higher than that of regular payment transactions. This burdens SZÉP card payments because the fees generated from this mostly enrich the Hungarian Tourism Association Foundation (MTSZA), which reinvests the fees generated into the development of Hungarian tourism. According to the original concept, by paying the surcharge, the acceptance points contribute to improving the operating conditions of their own sector.

Retail, on the other hand, is not a beneficiary of the MTSZA’s spending and does not directly participate in the development of Hungarian tourism, so the fee acts as another sales tax in trade. The transaction cost is payable on the price of the products plus VAT, just like the 4.5 percent special retail tax. The additional burden of retail tax and SZÉP card transactions together is 7.5 percent, which even under normal circumstances takes away a significant part of the retail margin, but for example, three-quarters of the 10 percent margin for a margin-capped product, they added.

“This is an extreme burden, which leaves only a 2.5 percent margin after payment for margin-capped products with SZÉP cards. This should cover the salaries of employees, logistics, infrastructure and overhead costs. Such efficiency cannot be expected even from the best-performing large retail chains, meaning that SZÉP card payments lead to price increases and, in the case of margin-capped products, clearly lead to losses”

– the statement states.