Rome, Italy – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has entered into a public debate over proposals to impose a wealth tax. She asserted that these proposals “will never see the light of day” as long as the right wing is in government.
Meloni wrote on social media: “Wealth taxes periodically appear in proposals from the left. It is reassuring to know that with the right in government, these proposals will never see the light of day.”
Leftist response: The majority supports the wealth tax, deeming it “correct”.
In contrast, the left argued that the fear of the word “inheritance” (referring to inheritance/wealth tax) is unjustified, especially among Italians, citing recent opinion polls.
Beppe De Cristofaro, president of the mixed group in the Senate and leader of the Green and Left Alliance (AVS), responded to Meloni’s remarks. He pointed out that the vast majority of Italians support such a tax.
“The latest poll conducted by the IZI Institute today shows that the vast majority of Italian voters, approximately 84%, support imposing a tax on the extremely wealthy,” De Cristofaro said in a memo yesterday.
He added: “For the majority of Italians, redistributing wealth is the right thing to do… We are on the brink of recession, and we are the European country with the lowest wages… It is only right that the very wealthy, whose fortunes have increased in recent years, should contribute to reviving the country.”
Expected parliamentary escalation
In direct defiance of the right-wing government’s plans, AVS announced its intention to propose budget amendments. De Cristofaro asserted, “AVS will, as always, propose budget amendments to tax the super-rich. We are about to begin discussions to reverse the right-wing government’s appalling plan; we are ready to debate it. If not now, when?”
Another statement from the right: The Undersecretary for Relations with Parliament, Matilda Serracosano, had said that the word “heritage” (wealth tax) itself “is terrifying.” This was a comment on the left’s repeated proposals.
