Economy Minister Giovanni Tria
pledged on Wednesday that the government's 2019 budget law will
stoke growth without sparking alarms about the management of
Italy's public debt of over two trillion euros.
"It will be a budget of growth, not of austerity, but also
one that does not create doubts about the sustainability of our
debt," Tria told retailers association Confcommercio.
"We have to give a sign to the financial markets, to those
who lend us money.
"We should be careful because sometimes if you ask for too
much, then you have to pay higher interest rates, and what you
gain, you lose in interest".
He added that businesses will get tax cuts from the 5-Star
Movement-League government first, saying that "we'll address the
problem of (income tax) IRPEF in the coming years".
Tria is reportedly under pressure from the M5S to allow
Italy's budget deficit to rise to finance the key elements of
the government's programme - a basic income, a pension overhaul
that would bring down the retirement age and a flat tax.
"I swore that I would work in the exclusive interest of the
nation, and not of others, and I was not the only one," Tria
said.
"Naturally everyone has their own vision. But, as they say,
in science and in your conscience you have to try to interpret
your role properly.
"Despite what the newspapers say, I'm optimistic about doing
my best".
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