Hungarian official says plan to tax Internet use, which provoked huge protests, is 'dead'

BUDAPEST, Hungary – A Hungarian official says a plan to tax Internet use, which provoked huge protests, "is dead and will never come back to life."

In October, the government said an Internet tax was needed to complement a levy on phone calls because people were increasingly using the Internet for telecommunications. Prime Minister Viktor Orban promised to shelve the tax, but revisit it in 2015, after street rallies against the plan drew tens of thousands of mostly young protesters

Tamas Deutsch, a member of the European Parliament and close ally of Orban, said Friday a "national consultation" would be launched in March to ask Hungarians' view about the Internet. Deutsch said he was seeking input from Internet users and businesses about what to include in the online questionnaire.