Elon Musk calls for financial incentives for having children

"Having children should be incentivized, not be a financial penalty like it is in most countries," Musk wrote on X on Tuesday. "We must create the next generation of humans or spiral into oblivion."

The post came in response to a poll posted by Hungarian President Katalin Novák, who asked, "Should people with children be at a financial disadvantage compared to those without?"

"In Hungary, we would like people with children to have a financial advantage," she added.

As of Tuesday afternoon, 59.9 percent of poll takers said no, while 40.1 percent said yes.

The US, for example, has its Child Tax Credit system in which families with children under the age of 17 and making less than $400,000 on joint filings can receive a tax break per each eligible child.

Musk has raised concerns over the next generation of humans, previously stating in 2022 that the "biggest threat" humanity is currently facing is "population collapse."

In January 2022, Musk said "we should be much more worried about population collapse," noting the decline in birth rates of Western countries. A study published in January revealed that just half of women in the US under the age of 45 have had at least one child.