NAV leadership changes: what taxpayers should know

Several important positions in the senior leadership of the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) have changed within the space of a few days. According to press reports, Tamásné Czinege Csilla, Deputy President for Tax Affairs, and two leaders of the Criminal Directorate General were dismissed. Below, we set out what can be stated as fact, what is only press reporting, and what all this may mean for taxpayers and businesses.

Who is affected by the dismissals?

According to a report by Telex, Tamásné Czinege Csilla, NAV’s Deputy President for Tax Affairs, was dismissed from her post with effect from 30 September 2026. The paper said she had spent 36 years in the service of the authority, making her one of the most experienced leaders in tax administration.

The change is also visible on the authority’s own platform: on the English-language page presenting NAV’s leadership, the details of the Deputy President for Tax Affairs no longer appear.

According to a report by HVG, there was also a change at the top of the Criminal Directorate General: the paper reported that Brigadier General Ferenc Domokos and Colonel Gábor László Szűcs had been removed. According to the reports, their dismissals took effect on 1 October 2026. An article by 24.hu referred to Ferenc Domokos as the Criminal Director General.

Who made the decision, and why is there no official explanation?

Based on Telex’s report, the personnel changes were initiated by Mónika Rózsáné Sádt, NAV’s new president appointed at the end of August, and the dismissals were signed by András Kármán, the Minister of Finance. The tax authority operates under the direction of the finance minister, so top-level leadership decisions are made at this level.

According to the reports, the dismissals were carried out under the law governing the legal status of NAV personnel, which in such cases does not oblige the authority to provide reasons. The practical consequence is that nothing is known from official sources about the reasons for the decisions. Any explanation beyond that is press reporting and should be treated accordingly.

What did the press write about the possible background?

According to information from 24.hu, the departure of the criminal leaders may be linked to internal investigations, including inquiries related to the so-called Ukrainian gold convoy case. The paper also mentioned an incident at a private event among the possible antecedents. These links have not been officially confirmed, so for now they should be treated as assumptions.

On the dismissal of the Deputy President for Tax Affairs, Telex wrote that the background to the decision may also include the open presidential application process and professional criticism of earlier management practices. This too is the paper’s interpretation, not the authority’s explanation.

HVG’s report also touched on the reorganisation of the authority’s internal supervision. Exactly what organisational changes this means is not yet fully clear on the basis of the information currently available.

Why is it notable that two areas are changing at the same time?

Two branches of NAV with different functions are affected. The tax affairs branch is responsible for the professional direction of tax administration and tax audits, while the criminal branch deals with detecting and investigating offences related to tax and customs matters. If leadership changes in both areas at the same time, that is more than a single personnel decision.

After a new president takes office, it is not unusual for the leadership to assemble its own team. At the same time, the parallel reshaping of the two areas may suggest that the new leadership could also rethink inspection priorities and internal oversight. Whether this will in fact lead to a stricter or differently targeted inspection practice will only become clear from later decisions and official communications.

What does this mean for taxpayers and businesses?

A leadership change in itself does not alter tax rules. Filing and payment deadlines, tax rates and procedural rules are defined by legislation, not by the individuals currently in leadership roles. For taxpayers, no direct change is therefore expected in day-to-day administration purely because of the dismissals.

In the longer term, what may be of interest is the direction the new leadership sets for inspections and how the authority’s internal operation develops. In this respect, a few points are worth keeping in mind:

• Follow official channels: reliable information on changes affecting inspection practice or administration comes from NAV’s own announcements.
• Handling press reports: the information published about the reasons for the dismissals is not official, so it is not worth basing business or tax decisions on it.
• Ongoing cases: anyone currently subject to an audit or another procedure should consider consulting the authority unit handling their case or a tax specialist if they have questions.

This article is general information, not tax advice and not a legal opinion. In a specific tax matter, it is worth turning to a tax specialist, an accountant or directly to NAV.

What remains an open question for now

At the time of the reports on the dismissals, it was not yet known who would take over the duties of Deputy President for Tax Affairs and Criminal Director General. No information had appeared either on whether the dismissed leaders were leaving the organisation for good or remaining in another position. The one firm point for now is that NAV’s new president reshaped the leadership of two key areas in the weeks after taking office; the real weight of the decisions will become visible when successors are appointed and when the new leadership takes its first professional steps.