Italy must bet on VAT increase and Irpef cut with the Flat tax, which can be done a little at a time, reducing expenses. As for the €80 bonus branded Renzi, it is possible to cancel it - or rather, "reabsorb" it - with an overall reform of the tax authorities. These, in summary, are the positions expressed by the Minister of the Economy, Giovanni Tria, who spoke on Tuesday morning on the "Agorà" program on Rai Tre.
“VAT INCREASE? IT IS CONVENIENT IF THE IRPEF IS LOWERED"
The number one of the Treasury said that "it would be better to have more indirect taxes, such as VAT, and less direct ones, such as Irpef", but he also specified that his "is a scientific position, an opinion" which " it has nothing to do with the amount of taxes”.
In fact, it's not even science fiction. On the contrary: the VAT increase is foreseen by the safeguard clauses on the Italian accounts referred to in the last one Economics and finance document. If they are not defused in the autumn with the new maneuver - 23 billion are needed, the value of an entire budget law - in 2020 the reduced VAT rate will go from 10 to 13%, while the ordinary one will rise from 22 to 25,2%. 26,5%, to then increase again, to 2021%, in XNUMX.
For months the two deputy prime ministers, Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio, have been repeating that there will be no VAT increase, but neither of them has ever explained where the government plans to find the 23 billion needed to avoid this scenario.
"THE FLAT TAX CAN BE DONE, BUT NOT ALL AT THE SAME TIME"
In return, the leader of the League continues to press for the flat tax: "A single tax reduced to 15% works in 40 countries and is the only way to get Italy back to racing", Salvini told Unomattina on Rai Uno on Tuesday. "Reducing taxes is an emergency: if Italy lowers taxes, companies run to invest in Italy" and employment is revived.
But how much does the flat tax cost? The League argues that the final bill could be kept within the limit of 12-13 billion, to be added - naturally - to the 23 needed for VAT. The next maneuver would thus become a monster worth more than 35 billion with just two measures, without even calculating current expenses.
Despite this, according to Tria, the Flat Tax "can be done by reducing spending", even if "it is clear that it will not be possible to implement it all together: it will be necessary to technically study a design that is sustainable and efficient".
"THE 80 EURO RENZI BONUS CAN BE CANCELLED"
As for the 80 euro bonus for average incomes launched by the Renzi government in 2014, shortly before the last European elections, the Economy Minister believes that it was "a wrong measure, done badly technically". For this reason, the bonus could be canceled "in the context of a tax reform in which" the 80 euros "are reabsorbed".
