Press release, 26.01.2024.

Focus on raising efficiency of data provision

The Hungarian Central Statistical Office (HCSO) goes on making an effort to raise the efficiency of data provision, as an element of which it is important that respondents should fulfil their obligation to respond accurately and in time. HCSO strives to reduce the administrative burden, firstly by involving new alternative data sources, secondly by simplifying processes and thirdly by co-operating with the professional organisations of bookkeepers and auditors. In addition, in order to improve respondent discipline, HCSO initiated at competent government offices in the past period procedures aimed at imposing an administrative fine on large enterprises often and notoriously neglecting and refusing data provision, at the same time, to launch a large number of procedures aimed at imposing fines is still not a primary objective.

The sensitivity of business operators, the society, the scientific community and policy decision-makers to the publication of the different statistical data significantly increased in the past years, since these data determine socio-economic policy decisions. However, the proportion of responses to statistical data collections has shown a decreasing trend despite the surveys for business units being laid down in legislation, and respondents being obliged to respond. Refusing to respond is considered an administrative offence in accordance with Act CLV of 2016 on Official Statistics.

The Hungarian Central Statistical Office is one of the largest data asset managers in Hungary. Its aim is to present Hungary’s socio-economic situation with accurate, up-to-date and trustworthy data. For this, it is indispensable that respondents designated in the frame of the National Statistical Data Collection Programme (NSDCP) should with no exception fulfil their obligation to respond accurately and in time, while HCSO also strives to enhance the proportion of administrative and alternative data sources, to simplify procedures and reduce response burden, as well as to co-operate with the professional organisations of bookkeepers and auditors. Besides, in order to improve respondent discipline, HCSO initiated in the past period procedures aimed at imposing an administrative fine on large enterprises often and notoriously neglecting and refusing data provision.

The Office goes on trusting in achieving a full-scale co-operation, a part of which is to improve respondent discipline by applying the available tools, at the same time, to launch a large number of procedures aimed at imposing fines is still not its primary objective.

Hungarian Central Statistical Office

H-1024 Budapest, Keleti Károly u. 5-7. Tel./Phone: (+36-1) 345-6000
Postacím/Postal address: P.O.Box 51 Budapest H-1525
http://www.ksh.hu