Italy tax burden has grown 12.6% since 1980 says CGIA Mestre

(ANSA) - Venice, August 18 - The tax burden in Italy has grown by 12.6% since 1980, CGIA Mestre small-business association said Monday.
    Currently, Italian companies pay the taxman a total of 110.4 billion euros a year, second within the European Union only to their German counterparts.
    These pay taxes of 121 billion euros a year, but Germany also has 20 million more inhabitants than Italy does, the association pointed out.
    The economic blueprint unveiled by the Renzi government last spring calls for the tax burden to increase by 0.2% over last year to reach a record 44% in 2014, CGIA Mestre said. "It's difficult to do business and restart the economy with a tax load this heavy," commented CGIA Secretary Giuseppe Bortolussi.
    CGIA Mestre also examined another parameter, or business taxes as a percentage of overall tax take: while the European Union average is 11.3%, Luxembourg leads with 17%, followed by Italy at 16%, Ireland with 12.3%, Germany (11.6%), the UK (11.2%), and France (10.3%).