The government on Friday
amended its 2015 budget bill to extend its so-called baby bonus
to families with total income and assets of 25,000 euros a year
instead of 90,000 a year.
At the same time, the amount of the baby bonus would double
for the most disadvantaged families living on under 7,000 euros
a year, according to the amendment.
A separate amendment adds an extra 400 million euros in
social benefits, divided between an additional 200 million euros
available in 2015 and the same amount in 2016.
That comes in addition to the original budget allocation of
1.5 billion euros in social benefits, sources said.
Also on Friday, Lower House budget committee chair
Francesco Boccia denounced a government amendment that would pay
Poste Italiane, the public post office, for the cost of
distributing Italy's State social card for the very poor to
non-Italians with residency permits.
The social card was instituted in 2008 after the start of
the global economic crisis, and is charged automatically by the
State with 80 euros every two months.
Social-card holders can use it to buy food and medicine and
to pay utilities bills, and they also get discounts at
participating stores.
It is available to the very poor, including people aged
over 65 and children under three, and since 2013 it has been
extended to foreigners who are legal residents.
Boccia argued the amendment was "ill-conceived" because it
appears to refund Poste for services it has already been
compensated for.
"If the objective is to pay Poste money that had already
been advanced, the way is not the one indicated by the
govenment's amendment," Boccia said.
"The amendment is ill-conceived and won't even be voted on
today".
News of the amendment became grist for the mill of assorted
right-wing and anti-immigrant opposition parties, even though
the social card for legal immigrants has been in use since last
year.
"They confirmed the social card for immigrants. The Renzi
government is instigating racism," anti-immigrant Northern
League party chief Matteo Salvini told private Channel 5 TV
broadcaster.
The government also amended its budget bill to give city
and town councils more leeway in how to cut the 1.2 billion
euros in savings it has requested of them.
Following pleas from mayors, the government agreed to let
cities make the cuts from planned investments as well as current
spending.
As well, local administrations choosing to merge with other
councils will be exempt from Italy's domestic economic stability
pact for five years, the government said.
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