Salvini, banks busted? Patuelli surprising, contribution of 5 billion the minimum
Quick Look
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini replies to ABI president Antonio Patuelli, defending the request for a contribution of 5 billion to the banks in the face of record profits and cuts to branches and employees.
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Why It Matters
Matteo Salvini's statements come in response to complaints from ABI president Antonio Patuelli about the taxation of the banking sector.
"The words of the president of the ABI Antonio Patuelli are surprising, even bringing up the Constitution and complaining that the bankers are economically 'beaten up'. The numbers, good for them, tell the exact opposite: 25.5 billion in profits in 2022, 40.6 in 2023, 46.5 in 2024 and 47.5 in 2025. And this year profits of more than 50 billion euros.
Meanwhile, between 2022 and 2025, banks closed 2,510 branches and furloughed 12,900 employees. Without forgetting that in 2025 their effective tax rate was 19.2%, a tax rate well lower than that of other companies. Gigantic profits that derive above all from the interests and commissions paid by citizens, families and businesses.
Asking for a contribution of at least 5 billion euros to one of the richest and most protected sectors in Italy will be an intervention of absolute common sense." This is how the deputy prime minister and transport minister Matteo Salvini commented on the words of the president of the ABI.
Open Questions
- Will the government formally introduce the bank profits tax?
- How will the Abi react to the deputy prime minister's requests?
