Italian consumers on Wednesday
lashed out against the nation's banks for asking the government
to lower their taxes, among the highest in Europe.
"The banks got back into the fray with unrestrained greed,
asking the Renzi government for new fiscal favors after a
7.5-billion-euro present to the Bank of Italy from the previous
administration," Adusbef and Federconsumatori consumer groups
said in a note.
"In spite of all the handouts, the banks continue lending
in a trickle and at incredibly high interest rates, strangling
businesses and families".
The nation's credit institutions had better start cutting
down on their commissions and costs to individual customers, who
pay 371 euros a year for their bank accounts against a European
average of 114 euros, the groups said.
The comments came after Italy's banking association
complained that banks are being taxed at rates 15% higher than
their competitors in the rest of Europe, eating into their
profit margins and making them less likely to fulfill their
"role as supporters of the economy and of growth".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
