We'll scrap car, inheritance taxes - Berlusconi (4)

(ANSA) - Milan, January 19 - Ex-premier and Forza Italia leader Silvio Berlusconi on Friday pledged to scrap car and inheritance taxes if the centre right wins the March 4 general election. "(With the centre right in power) there will be no more taxes of people's primary home, nor on the car, inheritances and donations will not be taxed and we'll eliminate (business tax) IRAP," Berlusconi told one of this Mediaset TV channels. The IMU tax on people's primary homes has already been removed but it remains on second homes and other properties. Berlusconi said a "fundamental point" of the centre right programme he wrapped up with his alliance partners on Thursday was a flat tax of 23% for households and business, adding that the aim is to gradually reduce this further.
    FI is running in an coalition with two rightwing parties, Giorgio Meloni's Brothers of Italy (FdI) and Matteo Salvini's League, and a group of centrists.
    Berlusconi said that he was happy with the centre-right election programme he signed with his alliance partners on Thursday. "Yes, it's an extremely deep programme," Berlusconi told one of his Mediaset TV channels when asked if he was satisfied. "I started to prepare it myself".
    Berlusconi said later the first laws to be passed if the centre right wins on March 4 will be against to create jobs and fight poverty. "The first measures of our government will be the creation of steady jobs, with the decontribution of apprentice and first-time contracts above all for the young and laws that vigorously fight poverty, with the 'dignity wage' for the worst-off and the increase in minimum pensions to 1,00 euros," the three-time ex-premier and media magnate said on Facebook.
    Berlusconi also said that the next Italian premier should be someone like himself.
    "What's the identikit of the future centre-right premier? It should be someone who has set themselves important, risky targets in life that are difficult to achieve and managed to achieve them all. Someone like Silvio Berlusconi comes to mind," he told one of his Mediaset TV channels.
    Berlusconi said Thursday he would return to the premier's office if the centre right win the March 4 general election and the European Court of Human Rights lifts a ban on his holding public office. The court is not expected to rule before the March vote, however Berlusconi was ejected from the Senate in 2013 after the office ban, stemming from a tax-evasion conviction.
    He added that he envisioned a government made up of 20 ministers including 12 from outside the world of politics.