28 August 2007

Fairness in the tax system

In the next few weeks, discussions about the details of the budget will start.
I think the topics to be discussed are clear: reducing the public debt, consolidating iinvestments in infrastructure and lowering the tax burden, together with a determined fight against the tax dodgers.

As a Minister of this Government and as a representative of Italia dei Valori I will ask the executive and Parliament to make a central part of the 2008 budget the reduction of the tax revenue as percentage of GDP, an objective that is possible if we continue the fight against tax dodging. Continuing with decisions in this direction, it will be possible to reduce taxes for tax payers.

We need to be sure that everyone pays so that everyone can pay less. This must be our main commitment. At the same time, some of the resources must be used to reduce the public debt and for investments to support development. To reduce the debt also means cutting spending on interest payments, which is particularly important at a time of increasing rates. This will thus free up resources to be used for investment. In particular infrastructure investments must not only be seen as a cost, but as a productive commitment that can give rise to a reservoir of resources and create better conditions for the economic development of the country.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Economy