'Black day' for taxes in Italy

(ANSA) - Rome, June 16 - Critics of Italian fiscal policy have dubbed Monday a 'black day' due to the total of 54.5 billion euros in various taxes being levied from citizens all at once due to a coincidence of deadlines. With the new TASI local-services tax set to debut in most of the country, small-business group CGIA Mestre has called for more simplifications to the country's complicated and costly tax code. "In our country, unfortunately, in addition to the tax burden that has reached an unbearable level, it's difficult to define the exact amounts to be paid. The process of paying one's taxes in Italy takes an average of 269 hours throughout the year, the equivalent of 33 working days," said CGIA Mestre's Giuseppe Bortolussi.