Vatican confirms tax deal talks

(ANSA) - Vatican City, March 5 - The Vatican is in talks with the Italian authorities for a deal about bank secrecy and other tax issues to help track down Italian tax evaders, Holy See sources told ANSA on Thursday. Italy recently reached deals to end bank secrecy with Switzerland, Monaco and Liechtenstein. In an interview with weekly magazine L'Espresso, Premier Matteo Renzi said he was hopeful the Vatican would be the next State to sign a tax deal with Rome.
    The sources said an eventual deal would not regard the position of individuals with accounts in the Vatican, as this area has been effectively dealt with via recent reforms of the Vatican Bank, the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), and the closure of accounts of people who are not clergy or Holy See employees. The talks are looking at the Italian tax authorities' interest in the money transfers of Italian-based religious orders.
    "There are no longer cases of Italian businessmen hiding money in the Vatican, maybe via a donation," the sources said.
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