Sugar tax proceeds to go to schools says Fioramonti

(ANSA) - Rome, October 17 - Proceeds from a new sugar tax should go to the education sector, Education Minister Lorenzo Fioramonti said Thursday.
    "I expect the proceeds to go to schools, universities and research," he said.
    This, he said, was in the initial proposal he made when he proposed putting a tax on sugary snacks, and was widely criticised.
    The government has now said the tax will be restricted to sugary drinks and not snacks.
    But Fioramonti said the adoption of his idea showed that "it was not so much pie in the sky, was it?" He said "I don't expect to be thanked by the government for having brought this idea to the country".
    The new tax is contained in the 2020 budget, which is currently being tweaked.
    The government approved the 2020 budget in a marathon overnight session Wednesday morning but it is still being fine-tuned.
    Among its major measures are the avoidance of a VAT hike, a boost for credit card payments instead of cash, the plastic tax and other moves towards a green economy.
    The budget has led to sparring between the senior government partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) and its junior partners the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and the centrist Italia Viva (IV) party.
    But it is set to be sent to Brussels on schedule.