25 October 2006

The Debts of the State

photo from lastampa.it

A man has committed suicide in front of Turin’s Palace of Justice. He was called Rocco Agostino, and he was the head of 2 ACI car pounds holding about 5,000 cars for la Prefettura, il Tribunale e la Procura {bodies in the justice system}.
He committed suicide as a protest against the delay in making payments that, according to him, had been due to him for a long time. An inquiry will provide clarity about the basis of his claim, but there is no doubt that there are frequent delays in the reimbursements and payments that the State is due to make to private citizens and to companies.
The fight against tax dodging should be accompanied by a serious and solid intervention to give timeframes that are fixed and fair for tax reimbursements and for payments for the activities carried out for the public administration.
Delayed payments to companies can create difficult situations, delays in investments, reductions in employment, sometimes even bringing about the closure of the company. In relation to private individuals and companies, this generates mistrust of the State as well as causing economic difficulties that can be serious.
The competitiveness of the companies and the credibility of the State depend on the respect of social pacts and reciprocal treatment. The State must give an example.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Justice