Budget can be improved while safeguarding goals - Gualtieri

(ANSA) - Rome, November 12 - Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri said Tuesday that the government will not stop parliament from making some amendments to its 2020 budget bill.
    "The government has great respect and willingness for dialogue," he told a parliamentary hearing on the package. "I think and hope that the work in parliament can improve the budget further, while safeguarding its structure and aims". The package features around 30 billion euros in new measures but around 23 billion is needed to avert a rise in value added tax that is set to kick in next year.
    The minister said he could see encouraging signs for Italy's sluggish growth and is hopeful the estimate of a 0.1% rise in GDP this year can be surpassed. He said the 0.6% growth estimate for 2020 "appears well within reach, perhaps even prudent". He said the budget lowers the tax burden by 7.1 billion euros in year-on-year terms.
    He argued the new government's sober approach to handling the public finances would give the State a 38.5 billion euro "dividend" for the 2019-2022 in terms of lower borrowing costs.