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As his Northern League political
party held a sit-in at the finance ministry Tuesday, leader
Matteo Salvini demanded the government dip into its "boatloads"
of cash to repay billions of euros in pension money withheld
under a previous cap.
Salvini and his supporters, riding high in public opinion
polls and following a strong showing in weekend local elections,
alleged the centre-left government is sitting on billions of
euros they could pay to pensioners.
"Here we stay until we get some answers," said Salvini.
"Return the loot" and "Hands off pensions" read League
banners as Salvini said the government could afford to repay
what some estimates say is about five billion euros in money
withheld under a 2011 pension cap struck down last month by the
Constitutional court.
The original reforms affected only pensions greater than
three times the average paid by INPS.
He said pensioners had been "robbed" by the original
regulations and urged the government to dip into its "boatload"
of cash.
Premier Matteo Renzi's government has said it must avoid
spending that would push the budget outside strict European
Union fiscal rules.
Salvini said Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan had taken a
"disgraceful" attitude, and accused the government of preferring
to repay pensioners in supermarket points rather than the cash
they were owned.
Padoan has said the government will have a plan this week
for refunding some of the pension money.
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