Foreigners pay more for gas in Hungary. It risks an EU fight

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary has placed price caps on fuel and some food and imposed special taxes on industries as the governments tries to ease an economic downturn and the highest inflation in nearly 25 years. But some affected companies, like budget airline Ryanair, have protested, and said they’d pass the costs on to consumers. Meanwhile, the European Union says discounted fuel prices available only to vehicles registered in Hungary and denied to drivers with foreign license plates is discriminatory. The bloc has threatened legal action unless right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government suspends the measure. With the unusual moves, Orban is jettisoning the conservative financial model of deregulation and free market capitalism.