The parties backing Premier
Giuseppe Conte's coalition government were engaged in fresh
clashes on Friday over the 2020 budget bill.
Former premier Matteo Renzi's centrist Italia Viva (IV) is
demanding plans for new taxes on plastics and sugar be dropped,
saying they will harm Italian business and lead to job losses.
"The plastic tax is crazy and the same is true of the sugar
tax," Renzi told Mediaset television.
Renzi has said that there is a 50% likelihood of a political
crisis that would lead to the government collapsing and early
elections.
The centre-right alliance, led by League leader Matteo
Salvini, would be favourite to win eventual early elections
given how the parties are standing in the opinion polls.
"I don't want to have elections but we will if we are
forced," Renzi said on Friday.
Sources with the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) on Friday
accused IV of "preferring multinationals to workers" with its
position on the new taxes.
The coalition is having talks on the budget on Friday.
Economy Minister Roberto Gualtieri is said to have presented
options to find 400-500 million euros in new budget coverage.
The PD is said to have opposed IV's proposal to use all of
that money to scrap the plastic and sugar taxes.
Conte told the parties supporting his government, which also
include the 5-Star Movement (M5S) and the leftwing LeU group,
that "what counts is lowering taxes in a significant way",
sources said.
"A further effort is needed to go in this direction".
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