Conte rules out VAT hike

(ANSA) - Rome, September 20 - Premier Giuseppe Conte said after an informal EU summit in Salzburg Thursday that "we have never considered worsening the position of taxpayers" when asked about a possible selective hike in VAT.
    Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said the government already vowed to defuse the VAT hike in its resolutions on the DEF economic and planning document in June. Conte said that "the (deficit) number of the budget must also give the signal that we are keeping the accounts in order". He said "on the 2% (budget limit) I pulled out a number just to say let's not get bogged down by decimals". Conte said he was in constant touch with Tria and "we in a full phase of elaboration of the budget and its details, at this time it makes no sense to pull out a number, I don't want to talk about decimals".