Cattaneo (FI): "Forget pensions. It's time to cut personal income tax."

On the same topic:

"We have no doubts," says Alessandro Cattaneo . "We can't wait any longer; the time has come to invest resources in the middle class. We want to cut personal income tax. We've already done so with the lowest rates; now it's time to go further and reduce the rate from 35 percent to 33 percent for incomes up to €60,000." The Forza Italia MP and head of Departments sets the party's goals as the debate on the budget law begins to fuel political appetites. "It would be a substantial signal for citizens, but also a political one. If the middle class recovers, consumption and social advancement will recover," adds Cattaneo, asserting his party's liberal spirit. Along with attention to productive realities: "Of course, we will also support all initiatives that benefit businesses and workers. We reject the logic of opposing these two worlds, so dear to the left." How will you proceed concretely? "We support tax exemptions for productivity incentives and fringe benefits. We want to strengthen some similar initiatives that were already included in last year's budget. And then," adds the Forza Italia member, "we can intervene to simplify Industry 5.0 to free up all those stagnant resources. I also think it's necessary to address the high cost of energy: it's a major problem for our manufacturing industry, especially at a time when the entire European sector is suffering."

Read also:

In recent days, however, the debate has focused on Giorgetti's "pinch" of the banks—which FI immediately opposed with a firm "no" to any blitz on extra profits—and even more so on pensions (on the freeze on raising the retirement age and the Fornero Law), with the League leading the way. "On this point, FI is very cautious. Pensions are not self-sustaining," Cattaneo clarifies . "It's true that we've entered a contributory regime, but unfortunately we're far from self-sufficiency. And to support INPS, we draw on general taxation, which is a bit of a distortion. In this scenario, touching anything becomes complicated ," the MP continues, underscoring the government's attention to the finances thus far. "It's not about austerity but about maturity, in the sense that having kept public funds in order has made us perhaps the most credible country in Europe from an economic standpoint." This, Cattaneo continues, has led to a reduction in the spread: "It's never been so good: when the legislature began, it was around 200 points compared to Germany, today we're below 100 and practically on par with France. For a country like ours, this means paying much less interest on debt and a greater propensity on the part of international investors to invest in Italy, with immediate effects on the real economy." This favorable scenario, from FI's perspective, must not be jeopardized by pursuing slogans and spot measures that are financially unsustainable. "The best way forward is to foster synergies between the public and private sectors, free enterprise and investment funds, by removing obstacles and bureaucracy."

Finally, Cattaneo hopes the next budget will include further investments in healthcare, a critical area addressed by FI during its summer campaign. "This is a crucial issue we are actively addressing. Last year, despite limited resources, we already invested €5 billion in the budget. We must continue along this path." How? "We," Cattaneo concludes, "are proposing a special 5 percent tax deduction for healthcare workers. And we are also asking for coverage for turnover and for strengthening the healthcare workforce, a critical issue we want to resolve."

More on these topics: