Conte opens up to 're-examining' budget

(ANSA) - Rome, October 18 - Premier Giuseppe Conte said Friday that he was ready to consider changes to the budget bill, which has causing tension between the parties supporting his coalition government.
    The package, which features 30 billion euros a new measures and averts a hike in value-added tax that was set to kick in next year, was approved earlier this week pending agreement on some issues. "We'll discuss it, working on the definitive framework when I return to Rome," Conte said at the EU summit in Brussels. "Let's not forget that it was approved pending some agreements.
    "There is the possibility to have additional examinations of it and I won't duck away from that. "We'll get around a table and discuss it". Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, the leader of the 5-Star Movement (M5S), has said the budget should be addressed at cabinet meeting next week.
    But Democratic Party (PD) leader Nicola Zingaretti does not agree.
    "The budget bill has been approved (by cabinet)," Zingaretti said.
    "There'll be trouble if it's thrown into doubt". In newspaper interviews published on Friday, Conte said that the government will not be able to approve cuts in the IRPEF income tax before the end of the year.
    "I consider it a good target to combine the 27% and 23% tax bands at 20%," he said.