26 billion maneuver, Irpef cut of up to 55 thousand euros

Another piece of the Irpef cut for the middle class is arriving. The car tax exemption is made structural. There is a social security "piggy bank" for newborns and parental leave is strengthened. A premium is then introduced for workers under 30 and a 300 euro voucher arrives for the healthcare costs of the elderly. And also resources for healthcare, support for businesses. The fifth maneuver of the Meloni government brings together 26 billion and follows the lines of the previous ones, concentrating all the resources on what the centre-right considers the priorities: family, birth rate, tax reduction, protection of purchasing power, work incentives, businesses, health. The bill rises compared to the Dpb tables which indicated interventions for 23.5 billion.

"We worked with great serenity, with common sense, with unity, looking only at what was best for the citizens", summarizes Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, underlining the "teamwork" of the ministers which led to a "serene" approval in the Council of Ministers. To make the concept more plastic, he attends a press conference together with the deputy prime ministers Matteo Salvini and Antonio Tajani, the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti and his deputy Maurizio Leo, to illustrate the measures. He underlines that the maneuver should be read as "another piece of a strategy with a legislative logic" and points out: "this time too we did not distribute resources like a shower, we did not make promises that we could not keep".

The Prime Minister is keeping up with the banks and insurance companies, after the imposition of a substantial 5.5 billion contribution to which the institutions have expressed opposition for days (the latest today was Ania: "we are not a fiscal deposit to be exploited").

Although there was no margin to reach a prior agreement, the prime minister thanks the financial sector: I think they "understand the situation and share" the need to "lend a hand". A contribution of 700 million is requested from energy companies. Another 700 will come from games. But "it is not a maneuver against anyone", Meloni makes it clear: the moment is complex and "we asked to lend a hand to those who have fewer problems". The State, moreover, he explains, sets a "good example" with around 1 billion in cuts to ministries.

Giorgetti, who had the bitter task of "making ends meet with the many requests, expectations and needs", speaks of a "serious" maneuver, claiming the result of "continuing to guarantee financial security" in an "unfavorable" context.

The deputy prime ministers were also satisfied, each managing to plant their own flags. Salvini receives the extension of the flat tax up to 100 thousand euros and rides as a success the 850 million fund for exit flexibility: however, the measures will be detailed during the conversion in Parliament and the Northern League proposal for a 64-year retirement costs double, 1.6 billion. Tajani obtains - after the measure had faded - the (reduced) cut of the personal income tax and the six-month extension of the plastic and sugar tax. And also regarding the banks he claims the importance of having excluded those close to him from the request for support: of course, "the big ones won't all be happy - he admits -, but it doesn't cause problems for them".

The opposition, on the other hand, is critical, speaking of an "end-of-legislature maneuver" full of "electoral perks". The ball is now in Parliament's court: the process starts this year from the Chamber, which could finalize the text as early as Tuesday, while the hearings should begin on November 9th. For the changes, parliamentarians will have a budget that should be around 300 million. The fear is that the pre-election climate will trigger an assault on diligence. Giorgetti, who has been looking after the accounts with "seriousness" for 4 years, knows this well and is already putting his hands forward: "I hope - the words that sound like an appeal - that the discussion in Parliament will remain faithful to the course" set thus far.